Letters
by DietCokeJunkie
Summary: What happens when House meets an army doctor about to be deployed? Will he say yes when she asks if she can write to him? Can these letters that start off as just medical accounts grow into something more?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first attempt at writing any kind of fanfiction. Most stories I write don't get anywhere near being finished so hopefully this one will. I don't have a beta so apologies if I make any mistakes and if some of my facts are wrong. Oh and I'm from England like the wonderful Hugh Laurie so my spellings are going to be the English ones. And it's obvious I don't own House or anything like that since it'd be all American if I did. Anyway, on with the story and let me know what you think!**

The diner was quiet but no one would have expected anything different from the small establishment in the middle of nowhere. Its trade came mostly from tourists passing through on their way to bigger and better places. So it came as no surprise to the husband and wife who owned it that, on this late Friday evening, they only had two customers.

One of them, a young woman in her mid to late-20s, sat at the booth in the far corner, nursing a lukewarm cup of coffee. Her pale complexion emphasised her striking red hair and piercing green eyes. She gazed out of the window with an unreadable expression, her head resting in her hand and the other absentmindedly tapping a tune on her cup.

The other customer was the complete opposite. He was an older man in his mid to late-30s with icy blue eyes, dull brown hair and several days' worth of stubble along his jaw. He sat at a booth on the opposite side, glancing over at her every so often with a look of intrigue.

"I wondered how long it would take you to come over," the woman said, not looking up as the man sat down at her booth. "You've been staring at me for the last half hour."

"It's okay," the man replied, feigning seriousness. "I'm a doctor."

"So am I but I don't stare at strangers."

"You're a doctor?"

"You make it sound like it's the most absurd thing in the world for me to be a doctor. I didn't question you. Although now I think I might. Where's your ID?"

He scoffed but reached into his pocket all the same. He pulled out his wallet and found his ID before sliding it across the table to her.

"Dr Gregory House, Head of Diagnostic Medicine at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Not bad."

"Not bad? Let's see your ID then."

"So do you prefer Greg or Gregory?" she asked, ignoring his request.

"House."

"That wasn't one of my options. If you prefer, I could call you something else entirely. Bob? Eric? John?"

"No!" House replied, a little too harshly. "Not John. It's my father's name and I…"

"Say no more." He gave her a look of slight confusion so she continued: "I wouldn't want anyone calling me by either of my parents' names. If I'd have known, I wouldn't have suggested it. But I still need to know if you prefer to be called Greg or Gregory since House wasn't an option."

"Greg is fine. You still haven't shown me your ID so what am I supposed to call you?"

"You don't need my ID for that. You could just ask."

"Fine," House huffed. She seemed to be getting the better of him and he was not used to it but he knew he didn't like it. "What's your name?"

"Annabel Casey but everyone calls me Anna. So why is the great Dr House sat in a diner in the middle of nowhere, staring at a perfect stranger?"

"What makes you say I'm great?"

"I am a doctor too remember? Your name has been known to cause grown men to cower in fear."

"But it apparently doesn't cause 20-something women to."

"Sorry. I'm fresh out of cowering today. Maybe try again tomorrow. So you still haven't told me why you were staring at me? Have you not got any good puzzles that need to be solved back in Princeton?" She watched him as he made no attempt to say anything. "That's why you were staring at me wasn't it? You think I'm a puzzle?" He shrugged. "What are your clues so far then?"

"Well you're a 20-something…"

"27."

"Okay. You're a 27 year old woman, sitting alone in a diner in the middle of nowhere and you've been staring out the window, unmoving, since you sat down. You didn't even notice when wifey over there nearly hit her husband round the head with a frying pan."

"So what's your conclusion so far?"

"I don't have one which is why I came over. Care to help a guy out?" House asked, doing his best to sound sweet and innocent while still wearing his signature smirk.

Anna chuckled slightly. "What do you want answered first?"

"Why are you in this diner?"

She shrugged and House was about to jump in when she said "It was the first civilian place I found."

To most people, that would have been confusing but not to House, for that was exactly the same reason he had found this diner, 20 years previous.

"Who is it that's based back there?"

"That would be me. I enlisted as doctor. How did you know I was living on the base?"

"It was the same reason I found this place. I was a military brat and my dad was stationed around here when I was 16. I got so fed up of the people on the base that I just got on my bike and drove until I ended up here."

"I take it you never wanted to follow in your father's footsteps and enlist?"

"No. Even if I did, it was never going to please him so why bother? You're not going to give me some big long spiel about how your father was in the army and you wanted to follow in his footsteps and help save the county are you?"

"I wasn't actually. Following in my father's footsteps would've meant doing a hell of a lot of illegal things. And I didn't enlist to help save the country. I did it because I was bored."

"Bored?"

"I know you know what I mean. You spend your time diagnosing interesting cases everyday. I was getting stuck with the same old procedure. I've nothing keeping me anywhere and I figured that army injuries are going to be less boring. Plus, if they're putting their lives on the line then the least I can do is be interested in saving them." She ended her speech with a shrug and they sat in silence for a short while. "I should probably be heading back to base. Fancy giving me a ride? I hitched a ride here."

"I came on my bike," House replied, gesturing with his head to the motorbike parked outside in the empty car park.

"Do you have a spare helmet in that box on the back?" He nodded slowly. "So what's the problem?"

House sighed as he and Anna made their way out of the diner, into the cold night air. He removed the second helmet and handed it to her before getting himself settled on the bike. He offered her a hand but she just rolled her eyes and climbed on herself, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

The ride back was quiet except for the steady roar of House's motorbike on the manmade road. No one else was around. It was just the two of them and that fact felt strangely nice to House.

He pulled up on the edge of the base and was about to get off when he noticed Anna hadn't moved. He craned his neck and was shocked to see she was asleep.

"Unbelievable," he muttered, trying to work out what was best to do. Putting down his kickstand, he carefully got off the bike, making sure that she wasn't going to fall. Once he was stood in front of her, he gently shook her to wake her up. "We're here."

"We are?" Anna asked, slowly coming around.

"Yeah you fell asleep. I've never known anyone to fall asleep on the back of a motorbike."

"Maybe they didn't have anyone to hold on to," she countered.

"It's a pretty dangerous thing to do."

"I wasn't going to let go, even in my sleep. And you weren't going to let me get hurt."

"You've known me for under an hour."

"You weren't going to let me get hurt," she repeated, her green eyes staring intently into his blue ones. "Thanks for the ride back."

He rolled his eyes and grunted as she turned to enter the base. He was just about to get on his bike and head off when she called his name.

"I know this is a really odd request but would you mind if I wrote to you?"

"What?"

"We're being deployed the day after tomorrow and everyone on base has spent the day checking to see if they have all the addresses of the people they want to write home to but I don't have anyone. I barely have a home."

"That's why you were at the diner earlier," House stated, finally getting the last piece of his puzzle.

She nodded. "I don't get along with what's left of my family and don't really have many friends. Would you mind? I could tell you about the patients I've had and you could tell me about yours. Or you don't even have to write back if you don't want to. I'd just like someone to write too."

House studied the pleading look she had on her face and sighed. "Got a pen?"

She smiled and let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding. Fumbling around in her bag, she found an old receipt and a pen which she handed to him. He scribbled something down, handed it back and hopped on his bike.

"Make sure I can read your writing! If I've got to put up with your letters, they better be legible!" he called as he drove off down the road.

And so it began.


	2. Chapter 2

**I was going to post this with the first chapter but decided to split it up which is part of the reason why the lengths are quite different. Since I'd already started, I finished it hence the quick updates. I must tell you now that I may not update quite so frequently and, while I have an idea of where the story will lead, it's not completely fixed and is open to ideas. Anyway, this is the last "past" chapter I do before I go into my story's present. Hope you like it and please review. I'm quite protective of my work so would love to know what you think of it. Thanks :)**

Anna began drafting her first letter almost as soon as she was deployed. She didn't know what to write to the great Gregory House that would keep him interested in her letters. As much as she hated to admit it, she was lonely and being able to write to someone was really important to her.

In the end, she settled on telling him the things she'd done, the injuries of the people she'd treated and about the people she was with. She was surprised when she received letters back from him but they were usually just a couple sentences in length and were medical questions. It was a year after they met when she finally got up the courage to ask him something more personal.

She had just started her second deployment but hadn't gone to visit him while on leave. Instead, she spent her time travelling across America and reading through medical journals. But she missed him. She didn't know why as they'd spent just an hour within each other's company and their letters were simply medical accounts. And still she found herself sat in her bunker, wishing she'd seen him just once before she left.

_Are you afraid of dying?_

House hadn't heard from her in months. He knew she was on leave after her first deployment and she said she probably wouldn't have time to write to him while she was back but he had expected something. Part of him wished that maybe she'd visit him but why would she? He'd never given her any hints that he'd be okay with that. She'd written him pages about her patients while he replied with the odd question here and there. She asked about his patients after awhile and he merely wrote out their symptoms and diagnosis. He was keeping her at arm's length and they both knew it.

But there he sat in that same diner, reading the first letter he'd received in months over and over again. Both of them had frequented the diner regularly while she was on leave, never knowing the other did it and never once crossing paths. They both thought about the same thing as they sat at the same booth, wondering how they fitted into each other's lives.

_Are you afraid of dying?_

That's all it said.

He'd open the letter like an eager child at Christmas. He would never admit it to anyone but he liked seeing her elegant cursive on the page and it made him feel almost warm that he was the person she wanted to keep writing to. When he read those 5 words, he was disappointed at first. Was that it? But the more he read it, the more he read into it.

It was a personal question. The first remotely personal thing either of them had ever asked in all the time they'd been writing to each other. Reading it for at least the hundredth time, House tried to work out why she'd asked him that. Did she ask it from a medical point of view? Was she expecting a serious and possibly controversial opinion from him? Did a patient ask her? Or was she scared and wanting some kind of comfort from him?

Most people who knew House believed him to be void of any emotions. But if they'd entered that lonely old diner, they would've found the 38 year old scribbling furiously, crossing things out and ripping up bits of paper, trying to come up with the best way to comfort a woman he'd only met for an hour. They'd never know why he was doing it – he probably didn't even know himself – but those 5 little words were like a catalyst.

The letter he ended up sending in reply was 3 pages long and came as quite a surprise to Anna. She wasn't sure what she was expecting when she asked him that question but she was over the moon with what she received. From there, all of the letters from both parties had a personal element to them. They began learning things about the other, asking questions and sharing stories they weren't comfortable doing so before. She continued writing when she was on leave and even visited him several times.

She didn't let it get to her when he said that he didn't want her to meet his friends and colleagues. She knew his reputation and she also knew that their friendship went against the entire image he had. He mentioned in one of his letters that Wilson, his best friend, knew of her existence after catching House reading or responding to one of her letters on numerous occasions. That and the references he made to them in his letters were good enough for her. He may not want her in his professional life but she knew she was in his personal life and neither had any intention of changing that.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for my reviews. It made me ridiculously happy! :P I did respond directly to the question but thought I'd write it here as well.**

**I hadn't really thought about where it fits. House has his old team because they are going to fit in better for me. I didn't want Anna to be too old nor did I want a huge age gap which is why I picked House's age to be as it is. Most people link House's age to Hugh Laurie's so I know it doesn't really fit but let's say that this is set just before the start of the series. My timeline isn't exactly going to fit anyway since I've chucked a whole new character in the mix but oh well.**

**Hope that clears things up a bit. If not, just drop me a line. Until then, on with the story…**

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><p>Cameron sat at the desk in the conference room sorting through House's mail like she always did. Normally she didn't mind doing it as she thought it gave her points with House but every other week she did. Because that was when House received a letter from <em>her<em>. She didn't know who _she_ was which only annoyed her more.

The letters had originally been sent to House's apartment but they'd been arriving just after he left for work so he had them sent to the hospital instead. He said it gave him something to do when he was avoiding work. If he was in the middle of something when Cameron handed him the letter, he'd slip it into his pocket with a small smile and continue with his differential. If not, he'd limp over to his office, shut the door and become engrossed in the words. It was as if the letters were the only thing that showed his human side and Cameron didn't like it one bit.

The few things she knew about _her_ were from Wilson and she couldn't tell if that was all he really knew or all he was letting on about knowing. Apparently they met in a diner some 5 years ago and had been exchanging letters ever since. According to Wilson, it was these letters that helped House out of his dark place after his infarction 3 years ago. Cameron wished she'd been around then to help him instead of _her_ but none of House's current team had been, having only joined a year previous.

"This is stupid," Cameron muttered to herself. "How can I be jealous of someone I've never even met?" She sighed and continued sorting through the mail as House walked in.

"Anything I care about?" he asked, limping over to the far corner to make himself a drink.

"Unless you actually want to read letters from your patients, no."

"Any letters from anyone else?" he asked.

"No," Cameron replied. She'd heard the hopeful quality to his voice and it made her respond a lot more harshly than she'd intended to. If he hadn't had his back to her, she would have seen his expression change into a frown.

It'd been over a month since he'd received his last letter. They alternated writing each week so he'd expected a letter two weeks ago but the date came and went. The first week he spent trying to convince himself that it got lost in the post or she was really busy and he'd get one soon. The second week he spent trying to remember if he'd written anything stupid that would make her mad at him. If it were anyone else, he knew that was a possibility but Anna would have called him on it, not that he was likely to have said anything like that to her in the first place.

And now he was into the third week. That morning he'd found himself scouring the news, looking to see if there was anything about war casualties. He wanted to be pleased when her name returned no matches but it still left him with no answers. She'd been a puzzle to him when he first met her and she was a puzzle to him now. The only difference was that more of him was invested into solving the puzzle this time around.

* * *

><p>"It could be drug related," Chase suggested at the differential later that day.<p>

"The patient says they haven't taken any drugs," Cameron pointed out.

"And you believe them?" House asked, incredulously. "People lie! It's in our genetics. Just because you really, really want to believe that the patient is all sweet and innocent, doesn't mean you can. You are a doctor and if you want to know something about the patient, the last person you want to ask is the patient because – here's the big secret – everybody lies!"

"Why would a 14 year old take drugs?" Cameron asked, slightly taken aback by the harshness of House's tone.

House pretended to think. "It seems my sixth sense isn't working today," he replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Maybe you should go and ask the patient!"

"But you said…" She was about to point out he said you shouldn't ask the patient but the stern gaze he was sending in her direction made her rethink it.

"Run a tox screen and see if our patient is lying about anything else." When they didn't move as quick as he'd have liked, House whacked his cane down on the table and shouted "Go!" causing the team to scurry out of the way like mice from a cat.

"What's his problem?" Chase asked as they waited for the elevator.

"He's still not received his letter," Cameron informed him. She noticed the lack of reaction from the two men so added, "Are you not curious?"

"House is an ass," Foreman replied. "He always will be. Just because some woman's letter can make him seem human for 10 minutes doesn't change that. Maybe she's finally realised what he's really like. Who knows? There is no point risking the wrath of a jerk like House just to find out."

"Well someone needs to talk to him. House normally is just about tolerable but now he's ten times worse. I'm going to talk to Dr Cuddy."

She stalked off in the direction of Cuddy's office as Foreman and Chase looked on, wondering what on earth she was getting herself into.

* * *

><p>"What's he done now?" Cuddy asked, looking up from her paperwork to see Cameron entering her office. "Unnecessary procedure on a patient? Lawsuit on the hospital?"<p>

"Actually, no," Cameron replied, trying to work out the best way to explain it. "He's just been… intolerable."

"Cameron, House is always intolerable. Why are you telling me this now?"

"You know those letters he gets? Well he hasn't gotten one in several weeks and I think it's really affecting him. He's been a lot colder, less caring and all around harder to work with."

"Anyone would think you were trying to tell me House has emotions and was missing someone."

"I wouldn't believe it myself if I hadn't seen it. I'm just concerned about our patients." Both of them knew this last statement wasn't true but neither was going to say anything about it.

"I will talk to House. But Cameron," Cuddy said, stopping her before she had the chance to leave. "House is unprofessional, abusive and an arrogant jerk but he's also a brilliant doctor. As much as I don't like his methods, they work. I will talk to him but as long as he's not doing anything dangerous, there isn't much I can do to get him to change his attitude."

Cameron nodded and left the office while Cuddy sighed. She'd heard about the letters from Wilson several years ago but she didn't know the relationship between the two of them, how they started writing and why they wrote to each other. All she knew, like everyone else who'd witnessed it, was that this person was important to House. And not hearing from the one person he finally let in was not doing him or anyone around him any good.

Deciding there was no time like the present, Cuddy began her search for House. She checked his office along with Wilson's and the doctor's lounge before moving on to the clinic exam rooms. Eventually, she found him in a coma patient's room on the third floor, watching General Hospital.

"House, we need to talk."

"Ssh, patient's sleeping," he mocked, gesturing to the comatose patient whose bed his feet were resting on.

"I'm serious. It's been brought to my attention that your behaviour at the moment is even more intolerable than normal."

"So someone's tattling on me now? And how is my behaviour your business?"

"This is my hospital so of course the behaviour of my doctors is my business."

House rolled his eyes and got up, limping out of the room and hoping Cuddy would get the message that he was done with the conversation. Unfortunately for him, she wasn't going to let him get away so easily.

"Is this to do with the letters?" she asked, catching up to him and placing her hand on his arm.

He turned around with such speed that she nearly fell over and when he spoke, the venom made her breath catch in her throat: "Those letters are none of your business."

"House…" Cuddy started slowly, still trying to get over the way he'd spoken to her.

"No!" he spat. "I've just not been sleeping properly and all of you badgering me isn't helping!"

"Maybe you should try a motorbike," came a soft voice from the patient's room they had stopped next to. This time, it was House's breath that caught in his throat.

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><p><strong>Ooh my first cliffhanger – sort of! Hope you like this chapter. I'm updating quicker than I thought at the moment but still not completely sure of the direction and I'm having a little trouble writing House. Please review and let me know what you think.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

_"Maybe you should try a motorbike," came a soft voice from the patient's room they had stopped next to. This time, it was House's breath that caught in his throat._

He recovered quickly, turning on his heel to look at the owner of the voice. "I'd need someone to hold onto," he replied with a smirk, taking in her appearance.

He could see the sparkle in her eyes from where he stood in the doorway and her striking hair contrasting against the dull hospital sheets. Her right arm was in a cast, her left leg fully bandaged and she had several cuts across her face.

"Are you holding up the door or are you going to come in and say hello to me properly?" she asked, eyeing him as he stood, leaning against the door.

"But then you'll try to hug me," he whined.

"Suck it up Greg!" she chuckled. He rolled his eyes but still limped over to hug her as Cuddy looked on in surprise.

"I've been waiting for your letter," he said softly, taking a seat in the chair next to her bed.

"I thought you might be. I'm sorry about that. It's kind of hard to write at the moment," she said, holding up her plastered arm.

"How long have you been here?"

"A little over a week. I was just taking up a bed over there so they moved me when I was stable enough."

"But if you're still in hospital, you can't be that stable."

"Greg, I'm okay. Honest. I got off lightly compared to some people. My wrist is just a hairline fraction so I can get my cast off in 3-4 weeks. It's only really my leg which was torn up pretty bad by the shrapnel."

"Shrapnel? So it was an explosion?"

"An explosion?" Cuddy exclaimed, having been listening to the conversation. "How come this hasn't been on the news? Surely we should have had more casualties brought in?"

"I take it you're Dr Cuddy?" Anna asked, stopping Cuddy in her tracks. "I'm Anna. Greg's told me a lot about you." She saw the nervous expression on Cuddy's face and added, "I've known Greg long enough to not believe half the stuff he says so don't look so worried!"

"Hey!" House said, feigning hurt. "I would never lie!"

"Yeah right, House," Cuddy said. "Going back to this explosion…"

"It wasn't here," Anna explained. "And, with all due respect, half of the explosions that happen at war aren't reported over here."

"You're a soldier?"

"Anna's not violent enough for that. Well unless it's directed at me," House replied, to which she playful hit him on the arm. "See what I mean! It's a good job violence can't be gotten through letters otherwise I'd be in trouble!"

Cuddy remained speechless. House was actually acting human around this woman, laughing and joking. She was the one he wrote to regularly; the one whose letters he waited for; the one who made him human.

"I enlisted as a doctor," Anna said, snapping Cuddy out of her thoughts. "I met Greg in a diner just before I was deployed and we've been writing ever since." She ended her explanation with a shrug and looked over at House who appeared in a world of his own.

Cuddy noticed the connection between the two and decided to leave them alone – she could always quiz him later. She made up some excuse about some administrative work but only Anna noticed for House was still lost in his own thoughts.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was here," she said after a few moments. "I thought you might not want people knowing. I didn't think you'd be worried about me…"

"I wasn't worried," House said dismissively. "I just would've liked knowing I didn't have to send a letter in awhile."

"Greg," Anna sighed.

After that letter 4 years ago, he seemed to open up to her more. They still didn't know much about each other's past but at least they were talking. Well in their letters they were. Whenever she visited him in person, he acted like the person everyone else knew him to be.

"Why do you do this?"

"Do what?" House exclaimed. "I'm not doing anything."

"Yes you are! How is it that you can be this wonderful man in letters but you act like an absolute ass whenever we're face to face?"

"Newsflash Anna, I am an ass. You knew all about me from the first day we met so why act like this is some big surprise?" House got up from his chair and began pacing the room as best he could.

"You're not an ass, Greg. You just like to act like one. It's almost like a defence mechanism with you."

"Is that so? And what am I defending myself from?" House rolled his eyes, not liking the direction this conversation was going in.

"I don't know but I wish you'd tell me. Haven't I earned that much?" She sighed as he remained silent. "I'm trying to persuade them to let me leave soon," she said, deciding it was best to drop the subject. For now at least. "They've been keeping me in so they can change my leg dressing and check it doesn't get infected. With nowhere to go, I don't think they trust me to do it myself. I told them that I was a doctor and was perfectly capable but they didn't seem to pay any attention."

"You can stay with me." House had stopped in front of the window and spoke so quietly that Anna nearly missed it. She knew that he'd offer but it still surprised her when he did so with such little prompting.

"Thank you. Hopefully they'll let me out soon."

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><p>Anna had to stay in hospital for another week to check her leg was healing properly before she was free to go. Wilson dropped in several times to meet the woman that had been a mystery to him in all the years that he'd known House and Cuddy returned to learn more about her. Both were surprised at not only the differences but the similarities between the two. While House was generally brash, bitter and obnoxious, Anna was polite, approachable and charming to be around. Yet she was still able to match him in everyway: every sarcastic remark from him was met by a witty retort from her and every insult he threw her way was thrown back just as easily.<p>

The rest of the hospital remained oblivious to her presence. House's team noticed he was back to his normal "just tolerable" behaviour but Cameron put it down to Cuddy having a word with him and neither Foreman nor Chase cared. House generally stayed away from Anna's room when he knew the nurses would be there and often went to see her while she was doing her leg exercises instead.

Finally the day came when Anna was to be realised into the supposedly capable hands of House. As she was wheeled down to the car park at the end of the day, they both thought the same thing: will they be able to cope living with each other?


	5. Chapter 5

**I literally just finished this and wanted to update. It's not my best and I ended up ending it completely differently to how I was going to but hopefully it'll work out! :P Anyway, enjoy and please review so I know if you love it, hate it or have any suggestions for me :)**

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><p>"Oh James thank goodness you're here!" Anna exclaimed, throwing open the door to House's apartment. "He is driving me crazy!"<p>

Wilson looked surprised as he took in the scene in front of him. House was lying on the couch, his hands over his face in exasperation. Anna had moved over to the piano and twirled her crutch around in her hands as she too looked exasperated.

"What have you done this time, House?"

"All I said was that I'd take her to get her cast off on Monday!"

"No what you did was _insist_ that you drove me there and back and be in the room when they took it off. Just like you've _insisted_ that I don't do anything myself since I've been here. I'm a grown woman, Greg, not an invalid. I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself. I am a doctor too you know?"

Wilson just watched on in amusement at the situation. He'd been called to the apartment several times in the 3 weeks since Anna had moved in with House because he was "driving her crazy". Wilson believed House was just trying to show he cared but, in typical House fashion, he was going about it in a very unconventional way.

"You were let out under my supervision and it's going to be my ass on the line if something happens to you," House retorted.

"And then what? I'm not staying forever, Greg!"

There it was. The thing they'd both been avoiding since that day in the hospital. Both of them knew that, as soon as her leg was healed, she was gone to finish of her duties. Neither of them talked about nor wanted it to happen but the day was approaching nonetheless.

Anna got her cast off in three days and her leg was healing quicker than either wanted. She no longer wore the bandage and it was just a case of her getting her strength back. She was currently using a crutch but was going to switch to a cane soon and the doctors reckoned it was only going to be a couple more weeks.

"How about we go for a drink, House?" Wilson asked, trying to change the subject as best he could. "We've not had one in awhile and it'd be good for you both to have a change of scenery. Plus we can sort out tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" House asked, still thinking about what Anna had said.

"The monster track rally? Don't tell me you forgot?" Wilson questioned.

"No but I…"

"It sounds like you'll have a great time," Anna interrupted. "And it'll give me an excuse to have a girls' day."

"Girls' day? But…"

"Yes, Greg. A girls' day is a day just for girls. I was thinking it might be nice for me to get to know Lisa better."

"Cuddy? Why do you want to get to know her better?"

"Maybe because she's a part of your life and so am I so it's about time I knew more about her than the nonsense you've told me.

"Yeah but you're not staying forever _remember_?" he spat.

"House!" Wilson exclaimed.

"James, please take Greg to get that drink you mentioned. And it'll probably be easier if he stays at yours after. Enjoy the monster trucks." Anna avoided the eye contact of both of them as she picked up her crutch and made her way out of the room as quick as she could manage.

"You're an ass," Wilson said, tossing House's jacket at him and making his way to the door.

"So I've been told," he muttered in response, looking over at the closed bedroom door and sighing. "So I've been told."

* * *

><p>"Didn't it ever bother you that he was keeping you a secret?" Cuddy asked as she and Anna sat on the couch in House's apartment.<p>

"Not really. Whether I understood his reasons or not, he had them and it was what he wanted. What choice did I have?"

"You could have told him not to."

"I'm not his mother. Besides, when has Greg needed anyone's permission to do anything?"

"He values your opinion more than you think," Cuddy replied. She'd sensed something was off between Anna and House but had chosen not to push it. Instead, she spent the day trying to get to know the woman and opted to quiz Wilson on it lately.

"Some days, I'm not so sure," Anna said almost regretfully.

They settled into an awkward silence until the door opened, signalling the return of House and Wilson. While the latter had a forced smile on his face, House had a face like thunder that was practically screaming "Don't talk to me". Anna's eyes immediately travelled to her lap as House limped past her, slamming the bedroom door behind him. Cuddy and Wilson looked between the pair and then at each other, wondering what to do.

"I should probably be heading off," Cuddy said after awhile. "I've had a lovely day."

Anna just nodded absently.

"What happened?"

"They had a fight yesterday," Wilson replied as the two of them made their way out of the apartment. "It started off with Anna being annoyed at House controlling everything she did and then she mentioned how she'd be leaving soon. I don't think she meant to say it but it got to them. And then in typical House fashion, he had to go and make it worse. Anna was hurt by his words but I think he was just as hurt by the fact that she'll be leaving soon. He'll never admit it but he's really enjoyed having her around. I don't know what he'll do when she goes."

Both of them sighed. House was almost becoming pleasant to be around - at least outside of work when Anna was around - and soon that would be gone.

* * *

><p>The tension in the room could be cut with a knife.<p>

Anna and House had not spoken at all over the weekend. She was surprised when he had chucked her jacket at her that morning and limped out to his car to drive her to the hospital. They walked inside in unison but no words were said.

"Are you ready to have your cast off then?" Dr Moore asked, entering the exam room. He did a double take as he noticed House in the corner and was about to say something until he noticed the friction between the two and decided against it. He got on with his job quickly, stealing glances between the two who avoided each other's gaze at all costs.

"You're all done here," he said after awhile. Once again, he was met with silence as Anna simply nodded and got off the exam table. As she made to leave the room, he saw House pick up the discarded cast and follow her out. Having heard the stories of House, Dr Moore didn't think anything he did would surprise him. But why did he want her old cast and why were they not talking?


	6. Chapter 6

The next few weeks continued in much the same way. As much as Cuddy and Wilson tried to get the two talking again, they were both too stubborn and proud.

Anna spent her days in the apartment, writing to her unit and emailing others who were on leave. House went to work, solving difficult diagnoses and complaining through his clinic hours. In the evenings, they avoided each other as much as the small apartment would allow. They both reasoned that, with Anna's departure imminent, distancing themselves would be for the best. Neither believed it but it was all they had.

* * *

><p>House limped to the front door, late in the evening after a particular difficult case. The diagnosis had come too late and they'd lost the patient. He pretend as if he didn't care - he'd solved the puzzle - but it still got to him. Despite not being on good terms as of late, he was glad that Anna was going to be around. But as he entered the darkened apartment, he was met with an eerie silence.<p>

"Maybe she nipped to the shop," he reasoned but he knew it wasn't true. She hadn't yet regained the full strength in her leg and still needed the help of her cane now and again. She had no car and would never have been able to walk to the shops which were a good 20 minutes away.

He sat down on the couch, twirling his own cane, wondering where she was. He didn't know why he cared so much. She was a grown woman and they were in a fight after all. But he couldn't help wondering if maybe something had happened to her.

* * *

><p>He must have dozed off because the next thing he knew he was being woken up by the sound of keys in the door. Glancing at the clock, he noticed it read 07:47. His previously worried state quickly changed to one of anger as he realised she'd stayed out all night.<p>

"Where the hell have you been?" he roared as Anna opened the door.

Immediately her hand flew to her chest as she tried to regain her composure after the way he'd greeted her. "I didn't think you'd be awake," she replied, softly.

"That doesn't answer my question!" he stated bitterly. "All night you've been out. Shack up with some bloke did you?"

"No! Not that it's any of your business, I stayed at James'. I wanted some friendly company for once."

"So you were shacking up with some bloke? And my best friend!"

"Greg..."

He softened slightly at her tone. She was rubbing her forehead in exhaustion and sounded almost defeated.

"You should have told me," he replied, not quite as harshly as before but still angry.

"Because we've been so chatty these last few weeks?" she spat back, the situation obviously getting the better of her. "And what I do with my life is no business of yours! You've made that perfectly clear."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means Greg! I'm sorry that I have to leave okay? But I thought you could have at least gotten over your problem so that the time I do have left could be pleasant." She sighed and looked at the floor before continuing: "I've a friend on leave and I'm going to stay with him for the rest of the time we're here. I think it'll be for the best. I'll have my stuff gone by the time you're back from work."

She didn't wait for a reply nor look up, not feeling strong enough to see his reaction. But House didn't react. He was numb.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you!" House exclaimed, throwing open the door to Wilson's office. "You two are cheating on me now?"<p>

"Wait, hold up House," Wilson tried to reason, thankful that he didn't have a patient in his office. "How would it be cheating? You and Anna aren't a couple."

"So you don't deny it?" he accused, ignoring the fact that he had in fact made out like they were a couple.

"I didn't really think I had to, especially since you aren't a couple, but fine. Nothing happened between Anna and I yesterday. I went to your apartment yesterday to find you. You weren't there but Anna was. She looked like she wanted someone to talk to so I took her out to dinner. When we finished, she asked if she could stay at mine because she wanted an escape from the frosty atmosphere in your apartment for a little while. Nothing happened. She slept in the spare room and I had an early meeting this morning so I dropped her off on my way to work. That's it. I swear."

Wilson watched House as they settled into silence for a few minutes, wondering if he need to reiterate his point again.

"She's not staying with me anymore," House finally said.

"It was just one night House!"

"No, not that. She's going to stay with a friend for the rest of the time before she has to go back. She thinks it's for the best."

"And do you think it is?"

"I don't know what I think," he sighed. "She's leaving soon anyway so what's a few weeks?"

"You and I both know that a few weeks could be everything. Talk to her. For whatever reason, she's remained a constant in your life for years and you were so adamant she stay that you hid her existence. That's why you did it wasn't it? So no one ruined it?"

He shrugged. "I didn't want her seeing me how everyone in this place sees me."

"And yet you've shown her all of your own accord. House, she's leaving in a couple of weeks and she'll be gone for months. You'll kick yourself if you don't talk to her before it's too late."

House nodded once and exited the office, leaving Wilson hoping that it wasn't too late for his friend.

* * *

><p>"Hey, I hadn't heard from you," Wilson said on the other end of the phone when House finally picked up. "So?"<p>

"She'd gone by the time I got here," he sighed in response. "I've tried calling her but it keeps going to voicemail."

"House, I'm sorry." He paused. "You're not going to do anything stupid are you?"

"No, mummy, I'll be good. I've just got to stuff to do. Cover for me with Cuddy?"

Wilson was about to protest but the line went dead. He sighed. What the hell was House planning?

* * *

><p><strong>I wasn't planning on doing another cliffhanger style ending here but it seemed to fit best ending it here. I'm going to try to write my next chapter right away and have the direction more or less planned so hopefully you won't be waiting too long!<strong>

**Oh and I asked the lovely Nikki for help on this too but thought I may as well ask you all too while I'm here: Do you prefer cliffhangers or resolutions at the end of chapters? Let me know and please review :)**


	7. Chapter 7

It took several days before House got through to Anna. He'd been working out what to say to her and, not one for small talk, he was at a loss when she finally did pick up. He decided to simply ask her for the address she was staying at so he could send her something she'd left at his apartment. She reeled it off quickly and then hung up, excusing herself by saying she was exhausted. He sighed, hoping that his plan would work otherwise he was going to spend the rest of his life regretting it. And regret was not something House liked.

* * *

><p>Anna opened the front door and stumbled in, stretching her leg out after her run. Having always been fit and healthy, she'd recovered quickly and it was likely to be only another couple of weeks before she was returning for duty.<p>

She was about to head off for a shower before a large package caught her eye. "Stephen? Where did this package come from?"

The man shrugged. "It was outside when I came back earlier."

Anna looked at it with suspicious. She recognised the handwriting on the top and knew he was sending something to her but she couldn't recall leaving anything at his place that would need a box this big.

She opened the package and nearly fainted in shock. "I think it was my turn to write" was written in capital letters. Underneath was a letter in House's scrawl and Anna laughed for the first time in weeks as she pulled her old cast out of the box and read it.

* * *

><p>"Keep your hair on! I am a cripple y'know?" House exclaimed as the persistent knocking on his door grew more frequent. "This better be worth waking..."<p>

He wasn't able to finish his sentence as Anna launched herself at him as soon as he opened the door, nearly knocking them both over. Her arms wrapped around his neck as his stayed stiff by his sides.

"I am always worth waking up for," she teased. "And it's just the two of us here. I already know you secretly like hugging me so stop being a jerk and hug me properly!"

House chuckled lightly, moving his arms around her waist. He was happy to finally have his Anna back. Wait, _his_ Anna? Oh crap.

"Thank you for my letter. And my cast," Anna said softly in his ear, stirring him from his thoughts. She moved away so that her green eyes were staring intently into his blue. "It meant a lot to me."

"It was nothing," he said nonchalantly although he was grinning inside.

"Greg, just accept my thanks okay?"

He nodded and she smiled, kissing him lightly on the cheek. As she moved back, their eyes locked again. Before either of them realised, their lips met and House kicked the door shut behind them.

* * *

><p>House woke up the next morning, acutely aware of a weight on his chest. He looked down and the memories of the previous night came flooding back to him. Anna lay with her head on his chest, his arm around her waist and their legs tangled together under the sheets.<p>

They hadn't really spoken since she first turned up and House wondered if maybe she'd come to regret it. He didn't want to be there when she woke up if she did but he also didn't want to just leave if she didn't. After several minutes of debating internally, he finally decided on taking a shower and then heading to work. If she was awake when he got out, they could play it by ear. Otherwise, he'd just leave her a note letting her know where he was.

* * *

><p>Anna awoke from the best night sleep she'd had in a long time. She rolled over and was met by coldness on the other side of the bed. Opening her eyes and sitting up, she saw it was empty except from a scrap of paper.<p>

_Gone to work. Didn't want to wake you, Greg._

"A man of many words," she chuckled to herself before she stopped, realising where she was and what had happened.

She'd come over to thank him for her cast letter and then they'd kissed. And then they did more than kiss.

She knew she didn't regret it. But what if he did? What if he'd been drinking before she'd arrived and he was drunk? She couldn't remember smelling alcohol on him or seeing empty beer bottles but the thought kept going over and over in her head. What if she'd ruined their friendship now?

Anna groaned and flopped back down on the bed, burying her head in the pillow.

What was she going to do?

* * *

><p>They had two weeks together before Anna had to leave.<p>

Both of them managed to fall back into the comfortable friendship they'd had before their fight. The issue of _that night_ was not discussed out of fear from both sides. While neither regretted it, they couldn't tell what the other thought and they didn't want to ruin anything after having just gotten back on track.

So they ignored it.

Anna had moved back in and the apartment was once again filled with sarcastic comments and witty banter. Cuddy and Wilson were relieved to say the least and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the two on the odd occasions that Anna managed to convince House to be social. Neither were aware of what happened on _that night_ and both Anna and House preferred it that way.

* * *

><p>"So..." House said. The two weeks had flown by and here they were, stood in the airport. He'd offered to drive her rather than letting her take a cab, a decision he was greatly regretting, having forgotten how much he hated saying goodbye to people.<p>

"I guess this is it," Anna said.

"Yeah I guess it is."

"It's only 3 or 4 months. I'm sure the time will fly," she said, not believing it herself but needing something to cling to.

House nodded, knowing she needed reassurance. "I bet it will."

The stood in silence for a moment before an announcement overhead called Anna's flight.

"That's me. Bye Greg." She hugged him and made to leave but he caught her wrist, pulling her back to him. He kissed her like he had that night and both were sorry when they had to pull away.

"I'll see you soon," he called after her.

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! I did manage to update quickly! I've literally just finished this and wanted to upload it so apologies if there are any mistakes. I've got the next chapter pretty much sorted but I want a second opinion on it before I post it. Even then I've got a few things on at the moment so I may not update for a bit. Hope this tides you over until then and please review. Thank you :)<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**I got a response on this quicker than I'd expected so it's uploaded quicker than I thought. There are a couple of things that I really would appreciate you reading before you start with this chapter:**

**1) For some, this chapter could be slightly upsetting. I've tried to write as best I can and have gotten a second opinion but I do want to make that clear before you read on.**

**2) I have no affiliations with the army or America for that matter so apologies if anything is incorrect on that front. Also, despite the amount of medical shows I watch, I'm not a doctor so I don't know the specifics as to what would be done. This also goes for past and future chapters with any medical references.**

**3) I'd like to dedicate this chapter to MY lovely Nikki who gave me a confidence boost with this chapter and she's just a genuinely gorgeous person (even if I'm not to her! :P) **

* * *

><p>Wilson sat with a patient in his office a few months after the goodbye. Out of his peripheral vision, he could see House climb over the low-lying wall between their offices. He held his breath and hoped that, for once, House wouldn't interrupt him since he wasn't exactly giving good news.<p>

Wilson said goodbye to the patient half an hour later and noticed House was still sat outside. He caught his eye and gestured for him to come in, noticing the faraway look in his friend's eye and how he'd flopped onto the couch.

"What's up?"

Wordlessly, House handed him a piece of paper.

"This is part of Anna's letter?" House nodded. "Why do you want me to read it and why only the last page?"

He was met with silence so, sighing, he picked up the letter and began reading:

_That brings me to today: the worst day of my life. It started off with a bomb exploding and ended with me being yelled at by an officer. Not exactly how people want to spend their day I'm sure you'll agree. I guess I should elaborate for you._

_We were treating a particular unit who had been within the vicinity of a bomb explosion. They all kept saying how grateful they were to Zach and how it was Zach that saved them. None of us had any real idea who this Zach was but they just kept talking about him. Anyway, someone mentioned how they were lucky considering how minor their injuries seemed given how close they were to this bomb. And then they told us the story of Zach._

_Zachary Davis was practically still a child at just 20. He'd enlisted at 18 and was deployed shortly after his training. Everyone in his unit loved him for his humour and loyalty. But now their love for him is unconditional. You see, Zach threw himself on top of the bomb to save his unit. Apparently he did it before any of them truly realised and the thing that got to us the most was that every single member of his unit said the same thing without realising it: he still had his signature smile on his face._

_Out here, everyone tries not to let things get to them, making jokes and laughing because it's so much easier than crying. I guess that's what the guy who retrieved Zach's body was trying to do. The body was actually pieces as you might expect. None of us really knew what to do. And then this guy said that he hoped the family didn't want an open casket. I know he didn't mean it callously at all. He was just trying to lighten the mood, albeit in the stupidest way possible. The others either just glared at him or acknowledged what he was trying to do. But for me, it was the last straw and I went to punch him. I was stopped and called over by the officer of Zach's unit. He yelled at me for what I was going to do but had witnessed the whole thing and left it at that._

_Zach showed the people in his unit what they meant to him while he still had the chance. And it made me think about if it were me or if that explosion a few months back had been worse. I could have died without ever really saying how I feel. So here it goes…_

_When we first met, I told you I enlisted because I was bored. I wanted the excitement back like you get with your puzzles. But the truth is that's only part of the reason why._

_Before all this, I had no one. My mum died when I was a kid and I got as far away from my dad as I could when I could. I had no siblings, aunts or uncles and no friends since we'd moved around a lot. I saw this advert about the army when I was in med school and wasn't really paying too much attention until it started to mention the camaraderie._

_I enlisted to get a sense of excitement but mainly it was to get a sense of belonging. I wanted to feel like my presence was important and to feel like I'd be missed if I wasn't there. And I've gotten that feeling. But not just through the army._

_Today was the worst day of my life and the only thing keeping me together was you and the knowledge that I could get back to my bunker and start writing to you. I don't know how or why but I think I'm developing feelings for the most arrogant and self-centred person I've ever met. Greg, I think I'm falling in love with you._


	9. Chapter 9

**I apologise for this chapter being a little all over the place. I was having trouble getting it to where I wanted it to be without it being a ridiculously short chapter. Hope you like it and please review :)**

* * *

><p>Most men would have been happy if someone like Anna told them that they thought they were falling in love with them. But Greg House was not most men.<p>

"Wow," Wilson said after he'd finished reading. "House this is incredible!"

"Is it?" House replied, sullenly.

"Well not what led her to the revelation but the revelation itself is. You have the love of a beautiful woman and you're acting like it's the end of the world. Have you replied to her?"

"No."

"House! She sent this two weeks ago. Why haven't you told her you feel the same?"

"I don't."

"Yes you do. I've seen you around her and it's obvious you feel the same way about her."

"No I don't! She said…" he trailed off.

"She said what?"

House didn't answer the question. Instead he snatched up his letter and stalked out of the room, leaving a very bewildered and annoyed Wilson in his wake.

* * *

><p>"So what was in the letter?" Cuddy asked. Her and Wilson were sat in the canteen having lunch and Wilson was filling her in on the events of the previous day.<p>

"She described this event that happened which was... horrific to put it mildly. But it was also brave and sweet and so full of love. And she said that it made her realise she was falling in love with House."

"What?" Cuddy gasped, nearly choking on her drink. "With the mood House is in at the moment, I thought she'd been hurt again or had told him that she hated him. Why's he being so intolerable then? Do you think he misses her?"

"I don't know. He's not even replied to her and is acting like he doesn't feel the same."

"Well that's a lie. He was so attentive when she was hurt and getting a letter from her makes his day. Anyone who has seen the two together can see he loves her too. I don't understand why he would deny it."

"That's House for you I suppose. And one of the only people who does understand him is thousands of miles away in a warzone, waiting on a letter from the man she loves."

Cuddy nodded sadly before adding: "You don't think he's deliberately hurting her, do you?"

"As much as he denies it, he does care about Anna and wouldn't hurt her on purpose. Chances are, he's hurting too for some reason and that's what's stopping him from replying."

"Any ideas what it is?"

Wilson sighed. "I wish I did."

* * *

><p>"Have you written to Anna yet?" Wilson asked later that week.<p>

"No."

"Are you planning on doing so soon?"

"No."

"Have you any idea when she's home?"

"No."

"House," Wilson said, exasperatedly.

"What the hell am I meant to say in response, Wilson? She said she thinks she's falling in love with me! I'm meant to be void of emotions and not give a damn about anyone! Do you really think I know how to respond to that?" House spat back almost regretfully. "They don't tell you when the return date is for security reasons or something. She did nine months before she was injured and is into her third now so it'll be any time in the now really."

"Are you going to pick her up at the airport?"

"I don't know, Wilson! I don't know!" House slammed the door behind him as he left Wilson's office in anger.

"There's definitely something going on," Wilson thought to himself.

* * *

><p>"Since that's your scrawl on the whiteboard and you still have both your hands, I take it you can still write," called a voice from the doorway.<p>

House had his back to the door but could recognise that voice anywhere. He took a deep breath and then turned to face his team.

"Foreman and Chase, do an MRI. Cameron, get a full history."

"Aren't you going to introduce us to to your visitor?" Cameron asked, noticing how House hadn't looked at the woman once.

"No. Now go and do your jobs!" he barked to which they all filed past the woman.

"So you're mad at me and taking it our on them?" Anna asked, moving further into the room.

"When did you get back?" House replied, ignoring her question.

"Last night. James picked me up and let me stay in his spare room."

"Wilson?"

She shrugged. "You weren't answering your phone. I was upset when you didn't reply to my letter but I sort of expected it. When you didn't answer, I thought something had happened to you. I called James, he made up some pitiful excuse and offered to pick me up."

"I should make my friends pass a lie detector test," he joked, half-heartedly.

There was an awkward silence for a moment before Anna decided she'd have to be the one to start talking:

"I'm sorry for what I wrote."

"Are you?"

"No but that's what you want me to say isn't it? We had an amazing night together, Greg, and then you acted like nothing happened!"

"So did you!"

"Because I was scared! I was scared that it might have meant way more to me than it did to you. I didn't want to lose you, Greg. And then you kissed me at the airport and I thought that maybe you felt the same. But when I told you that I thought I was falling in love with you, you ignored me. I risked everything by telling you that!"

"And I risked everything kissing you!"

"Then surely you should feel the same as me?"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because I know!"

House held his breath as he realised what he'd just revealed during their heated exchange. Anna stared at him in a mixture of confusion and surprise as her anger seemed to subside.

"I know," House said, softly, taking a step towards her so they were only a few feet apart in the conference room. "You said you think you're falling in love with me. I know I'm falling in love with you."

"Oh Greg," Anna gasped, moving so she was right in front of him and placing her hands lightly on his chest. "I do know. I said think because I thought I'd be easing you into it more. I didn't realise you'd take my words so literally."

"Really?"

She nodded. "I'm well and truly head-over-heels in love with you."

"That's really corny," he replied, chuckling lightly.

"But you feel the same so you're equally corny right?"

House nodded, making sure to look her in the eye as he did so.

"That's good," she said, smiling brightly. "Otherwise it makes the next two things I have to say pretty awkward."

"Oh?"

"I didn't know for certain before I left last year and I was going to tell you after my injury but then we weren't speaking and it was awkward and..."

"Anna," he prompted.

"Right. I've got a few more weeks of my contract left and a couple of things to sort out at the base but I'm not renewing it."

"You're not?"

"At the risk of being called corny again, I don't want to be away from you."

"Yeah that was corny."

"Shut up or I won't tell you the other thing which is better."

"But what could be better than having you with me 24/7?" House mocked.

"How about having two of us with you 24/7?"

"What? Are you..."

Anna nodded. "You're going to be a dad."


	10. Chapter 10

**My darling Nikki has been nagging me to upload this (even though her new chapter took months!). I'm sorry it's taken so long but I hadn't actually written any of this chapter until just now because of exams and stuff. I will try to get the next one up as soon as I can but I'll warn you now that it may be a couple of days. Until then, I hope you enjoy and please review :)**

* * *

><p><em>Anna nodded. "You're going to be a dad."<em>

"I'm going to… What… How… When…" House stuttered.

"Do I really need to explain the how to you?" Anna joked, studying his expression to try to gage his emotion. "And I'm sure you know the when too. It was after you gave me my cast letter. What are you thinking, Greg?"

"Is that why you told me you loved me? Because you were pregnant?"

"Of course it's not! I told you that it was what Zach did that made me realise. Plus I sent you that letter 3 weeks ago. It sounds stupid, especially since I'm a doctor, but I didn't realise I was pregnant. I got so caught up in my job and you and everything else that it didn't even cross my mind."

"If you didn't realise, are you sure you are pregnant?"

"I'm sure. I had a blood test before I left and they confirmed it. You'll come with me for the ultrasound right? I didn't want to have one without you there..."

"I'll go."

"Thank you."

Something in his expression still concerned Anna but she didn't want to ruin a good thing by pushing him. If he wanted to tell her, he would.

"Do you want to grab some lunch?" she asked.

"I can't right now. I have a patient."

"Okay. In that case I'm going to make an ultrasound appointment and then head back to the apartment for a nap. Do you mind the appointment being here or do you want me to get it at another hospital?"

He just shrugged.

"Are you sure? If it was here and you came with me then people would know about us."

"It's fine."

"I'll make an appointment here then." She paused and then added: "I'm really happy about this, Greg. Are you?"

"Yeah," he replied, half-smiling. "I'll see you later."

Anna sighed and made her way out of the conference room. That wasn't the reaction she was hoping for.

* * *

><p>"Hello?" Wilson said, answering his phone as he made his way to his apartment.<p>

"Hi James, it's Anna. I was wondering if you've seen Greg?"

"I haven't today. He's been really busy with a case but I heard he'd solved it. Have you not spoken to him at all since you've been back?"

"No I saw him earlier and we sorted out the whole letter thing. But then I sort of dropped another thing on him and I don't know what he's thinking."

"What did you tell him? If you don't mind me asking that is."

"No it's fine. I told him that I'm pregnant."

"Wow." Wilson paused, fumbling for his door key. "It is House's?"

"Of course it is James! What do you take me for?"

"Sorry I'm just trying to think of reasons why he would have disappeared."

"I wish I knew. He actually said that he couldn't go for lunch because he had a patient. I'm worried about him. I know he's not too fond of children but what if he really doesn't want anything to do with us? I don't know what I'd do. Have you any ideas where he could have gone?"

"Maybe to a bar?" He opened his front door and dumped his stuff, noticing the sound of the TV in the background and House sprawled out on his couch. "Never mind. I've found him."

"He's there?"

"He must have let himself in. How about I try talk to him and then I'll personally drive him back to the apartment?"

"Thank you, James."

"No problem. Oh and Anna?"

"Yeah?"

"Congratulations on the pregnancy."

"Thanks," she replied, half-heartedly.

Wilson closed his phone and sighed, before turning off the TV and standing directly in front of House. He was surprised when he didn't complain.

"She's pregnant," House said simply.

"Yes she is. That was her on the phone. She's worried about you. She thinks you won't want her and the baby. Is she right?"

"No! Of course she's not. I may be a jerk but I'm not going to leave her."

"You did today," Wilson pointed out.

"That was different."

"Why?"

House didn't say anything for awhile, looking deep in thought as Wilson studied him.

"What if I'm like my father?" he finally said, so quietly that Wilson nearly didn't hear him.

"That's what your worried about? House you will never be like your father."

"How do you know? Who knows what I'll be like as a father? Everyone always says I'm an ass so what if I'm an ass to my child too?"

"You are an ass to everyone..."

"Gee thanks!" House said, sarcastically.

"You didn't let me finish. You're an ass to everyone except Anna. Well most of the time anyway. I honestly don't know what you'll be like as a father but I'm positive you won't be like yours. For one thing, Anna would never let you be. Nor would I."

"I guess." He paused as if he was contemplating something and then said: "She'll be a great mum."

"Yes she will," Wilson said with a small smile. "Now go. The woman you love who is carrying your child is sat waiting for you, wondering why on earth you prioritised a patient over her. I told her I'd drive you home once I found out why you pulled the disappearing act."

"My bike's out front so I'll drive myself. Then you can ring Anna and do the touchy-feely conversation so I don't have to."

Wilson scoffed at House's remark as he watched him leave but picked up the phone when the door closed all the same.

"Hey Anna? Yeah he drove his bike here so is on his way back now. He's alright. What it was..."


	11. Chapter 11

**I've tried to make House a little less OOC so I hope I've succeeded. And yeah I hope you enjoy it and please review :)**

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><p>"Ah Dr Casey," the older gentleman said as he entered the room, obviously having just scanned the chart in his hands.<p>

"Anna's fine," she replied politely, staring at the door as if she was waiting for it to burst into flames.

"Okay then. Anna it is. Is it just you today?"

"The father was meant to be joining us but I guess he got held up with a patient." _Or that'll be his excuse anyway._

"I guess it's a curse of the job. We'll make sure to get lots of pictures for him in that case. Can you lift up your shirt for me please? Now this gel may be a little cold…" He squirted the gel on her stomach and began moving the wand around but paused with his hand in the air as raised voices could be heard from outside the room.

"I'm sorry about this…" he started as he made to get up but was stopped as the door was thrown open and House barged in. "Dr House, I'm with a patient and I would rather you…"

"I didn't think you'd make it," Anna interrupted softly, her eyes locked on his.

"I said I'd be here and I'm here. I've got to make sure old Beardy here doesn't take advantage of you in your vulnerable state."

"It's _Baird_!" the man interjected, looking between the polite young woman and the grouchy doctor with confusion.

"Yeah and I'm pregnant not some kind of invalid," Anna added.

"Same thing really," House shrugged. "So Doc, are you going to keep staring at us or accept the fact that there's going to be a mini House running around here in a short while?"

"What about two?" he replied coolly.

"What?" House exclaimed as Anna just stared, their eyes darting to the small monitor.

"Really, House, you are a doctor," Dr Baird replied, feeling quite smug. "I'm sure you can _clearly_ see the two babies there."

House shot him a look and resumed studying the screen.

"What are you thinking, Greg?" Anna asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

"That three of me can do a whole lot more annoying than one or even two of me ever could."

"Please tell me you aren't merely thinking of how you'll turn our children into mini Houses?"

"Of course not," he said, rolling his eyes before getting a mischievous smile on his face. "I'm also thinking about how great an excuse they'll be to get out of clinic duty."

"Greg…"

"And how your figure will be a lot _fuller_ if you're pregnant with twins?"

"Greg!"

"Oh relax will you? I'm happy and all that fatherly crap too."

While Anna was hoping for more out of him, she knew when to just leave it and this was particularly important when there was someone else in the room.

"So do you two want to know the sex?" Dr Baird asked after a moment of silence.

"I think we got that bit covered Doc. I did knock her up after all and with twins no less. My guys are obviously just _that_ talented."

"May I ask why you're with him?" the doctor replied, already exasperated.

"I often wonder myself…" Anna mused.

"Hey!" House protested.

"You brought it on yourself!"

Dr Baird cleared his throat slightly to regain their attention again and then turned his attention to Anna instead. "Would you like to know the _genders _of your twins?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to ask Greg."

"House?" he sighed.

"Yes we'd like to know the _genders_," he replied, mocking the doctor's previous words.

"Okay. In that case, it looks like you've having a…"

* * *

><p>"How'd your appointment go?" Wilson asked as they sat at a table in the canteen.<p>

"Do you want the good news or the bad news first?" House replied sullenly which was met with an eye roll from Anna that went unnoticed by Wilson.

"There's bad news?" he questioned, falling into the trap. "That first then."

"When they did the ultrasound, they found something unusual," House continued, trying to keep his expression glum as Anna had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing at poor Wilson.

"Oh no! What was it? Is it serious?"

"Yes. It's going to make everyone's lives difficult because of it."

At the devastated and shocked expression on Wilson's face, Anna couldn't last any longer.

"It's only going to be difficult because we have to put up with two miniature versions of him," she explained.

"Spoil sport!" House grumbled.

"He looked like a puppy that'd just been kicked, Greg. I couldn't do it."

"Wait," Wilson said, finally having registered what had been said. "Greg House, world-renowned pain in the ass, is going to be cleaning not one but two sets of dirty diapers and will be responsible for two other human beings? Wow."

"You know, you saying that makes me feel a whole lot better about my good news," House started, regaining his smugness as Anna rolled her eyes at him once again.

"Dare I ask what the good news is?"

"Anna and I have chosen to find out what gender our spawn are."

"And?"

"We've also decided that we are the only ones that will know."

"What?"

"Can I make it clear that I had nothing to do with this decision?" Anna pointed out. "I let Greg decide if he wanted to know or not and he chose the annoying everyone else option. Sorry."

Anna looked apologetic as Wilson sighed and House revelled in the power he had over his friend.

* * *

><p>"I meant to say to you earlier," Anna began as they finished off their meals. "I was talking to Lisa and she said one of the ER doctors is going on maternity leave. She said it was quite sudden so they don't have a replacement and she asked me if I'd be interested in it. When I go on maternity leave, it'll be around the time this woman comes back and Lisa said we could maybe look into something more permanent at a later date if I'm interested."<p>

"Wow. That sounds great, Anna. When do you start?" Wilson asked.

"Well this other doctor leaves in just under two weeks but I'm having a tour and things like that next week," she replied. "Greg, you've not said anything. Are you okay with this? I don't have to..."

"It's fine," he replied. "Good in fact. It'll give me another person to fight my corner with Cuddy other than Wilson here."

"That's what you think."

"Doesn't impregnating you give me some perks?"

"Other than the two kids?" House nodded and Anna pretended to think before a smug smile that could rival House's appeared. "Nah. Sisters before misters, Greg."

* * *

><p><strong>I hope it wasn't too predictable for you and no one hates me too much for not revealing the genders... :P<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Interesting detective work cmwinner! I will just say that, in my tired state, I was thinking of gender as plural because the babies are so that doesn't actually give anything away I'm afraid! :P I hadn't finalised the gender(s) when I wrote it either... Sorry! :P**

**Sorry it's taken me so long to update! I got stuck for awhile and then have had some of my own stuff to deal with and yeah. But here is the next chapter. I hope it's okay but I'm not sure if I'm writing throw-away chapters with House completely out of character. Although since the whole story is out of character (House becoming a dad and all), I'm lost... So please review and let me know what you think. I really appreciate feedback :)**

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><p>Anna was now entering her sixth month of pregnancy and finishing her second month of working in the ER. She'd become close with many of her colleagues but made a point of not talking much about her life outside of the hospital. Since she'd changed his personal life so much, Anna didn't want to effect House's professional life too much. Considering how he rarely visited the ER - unless when he wanted to steal a patient - and he wasn't very social within the hospital, it wasn't hard for them to keep their work lives separate.<p>

For his part, House was acting normal too. But normal for him was annoying for everyone else. He stuck to his plan of not letting on about what the two of them were having as Anna kicked herself for giving him that power in the first place. Wilson thought House was dropping hints at first when he'd made some comment about naming them both Greg but the next week they were both Anna and the week after that it was Sonny and Cher. After awhile, he stopped paying attention to him. Having known him for years, he knew more than most that when House had a plan to be annoying, that was exactly what he was going to do. But that didn't mean Wilson wasn't going to have his own fun and stop trying to get his friend to tell.

* * *

><p>"So what name are you going to give the twins?" Wilson asked as House stole some of his fries in the cafeteria.<p>

"Well since you so casually asked me..." he replied, sarcastically. "Like I'm going to fall for the subtle dropping-into-conversation trick."

"It was worth a try," Wilson shrugged. "But actually I was talking about surname. Are they going to have House or Casey or some combination of the two?"

"Obviously they'll have House. They are my children."

"Yeah but Anna's not a House since the two of you aren't married. What if she wants them to have her surname?"

"She's a traditionalist. Children have their father's surname. It's the way it works."

"Surely tradition went out the window when you got her pregnant out of wedlock?" Wilson countered, thoroughly enjoying getting to House for once.

"What are you trying to say Wilson?"

"Have you and Anna even talked about marriage?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, there's not really been the opportunity."

"But surely it came up when you discussed kids?" He studied House's expression before adding: "You did discuss kids right?"

"It was more of 'I'm pregnant so you're going to have to want kids' discussion."

"House! Anna is pregnant with your children and you don't know if she's expecting you to get down on one knee?"

"I don't think anyone expects me to get down on one knee," House retorted, holding his cane up for emphasis.

"You're deflecting. Instead, you might want to think about talking to the mother of your children and seeing what she wants before you end up screwing it all up."

* * *

><p>The conversation with Wilson plagued House's mind for the rest of the day and well into the evening. Never having been one to have to think about how other people fitted into his life, House was in unfamiliar territory and didn't like it one bit. He tried to analyse the situation logically to make it easier for him but even the great Dr House couldn't diagnosis this one.<p>

Anna had never given any inclination that she wanted to get married. She wasn't leaving magazines with wedding dresses open for him to see or dragging him into jewellery stores along with all the other schmucks. But still she commented on other people's weddings and joined in on the discussions with her friends. She'd managed to make House get so invested in a topic he didn't even care about and she was completely unaware as she went about her day.

* * *

><p>"Do you want to get married?" House blurted out just as Anna was about to turn out the light.<p>

"What?" she spluttered in response.

"I said, do you want to get married?"

"Are you proposing to me?"

"No. I'm _propositioning_ you."

"Right... And what exactly is the difference?"

"A proposal is more formal whereas a proposition isn't," he tried to reason.

"So you aren't formally asking me to marry you but instead seeing what my answer will be?"

"Exactly!"

Anna was silent for a moment, studying House's expression. She thought she'd become good and reading him as their relationship progressed but she couldn't tell what he was thinking at that moment. He looked both hopeful and regretful and a whole lot confused.

"What brought this on Greg?"

"Wilson asked what name we were giving the twins."

"I don't understand."

"What _surname_ we were giving them."

"Oh right. I didn't realise it would be an issue if we gave them..."

"I'm their father," House interrupted. "I may not have been thrilled about the idea when you told me and I've never been one to follow the rules but I'm still the father. Mine might have been crap but he still got to pass on his name to me."

"Greg, I want them to be Houses."

"What?"

"I never even considered giving them any other name. I was thinking of giving one of them Casey as a middle name but their surname was always going to be House."

"Okay. Good. Glad you agree."

House began settling down for the night, surprising even himself at how happy he was by Anna saying they were always Houses.

"I don't need a certificate you know," Anna said softly after a few minutes of silence had passed.

"Huh?"

"I've never been one of those girls who planned my dream wedding. I've seen plenty of marriages fail and have never been convinced that it's all it's cracked up to be. I decided long ago that I'd only get married if it was really important to the person I love. Since you don't seem to fussed, neither am I. We're fine the way we are."

"I could have told you that," House muttered, sleepily.

"Although we do need to move."

"What?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry I've not updated in awhile. I'm drawing so many blanks on what to write that it's getting annoying now :P Please review and let me know what you think - it'll really help! :)**

**Oh and I dedicate this chapter to Nikki (again!) because she gets all upset when she thinks I don't care :P I did miss you really NS4 and you have it in writing now! :P Happy?**

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><p>"House?" Wilson called out, using his spare key to enter the apartment and found the man in question lying on the couch. "House, what's going on?"<p>

"Anna told you?"

"Not exactly. I just had a message that told me to get over here as soon as possible and either talk some sense into you or help you find a place to hide."

"It's nice she gave you an option," House joked, half-heartedly.

"What have you done?" Wilson pressed.

"Nothing!" he exclaimed, holding his hands up in mock-innocence.

"_House_."

"We had a fight and she stormed out. I told you, it's nothing."

"You guys fight all the time though. But you make up soon after and I'm not called too help dispose of the body. Why was this fight different?"

"Because it was about serious things." House sighed, realising Wilson had taken the 'talk' option and wasn't going to be letting this go any time soon. "We were seeing the houses that Anna had looked up today. I didn't want to be walking around all day but she insisted I got to see what could be our future house. So I complained that I didn't have enough Vicodin for it and she said I did and that I would need to seriously cut down on my Vicodin intake when the twins are born. We had this big argument about it before she says that we'll be late to view the houses if we didn't leave right then. I had to traipse around three different houses with Anna and this idiot estate agent planning out our future in each one. And I couldn't take Vicodin to make my leg better because Anna was watching my intake like a hawk and sending me death glares every 5 minutes. Then the estate agent leaves us alone for awhile - practically runs out of the room - we fight, he comes back in, calls us 'Mr and Mrs House' because he's obviously completely ignorant, the whole 'we're not getting married' thing comes up and she storms out."

"Wow."

* * *

><p>The two of them were sat on the couch, an empty pizza box on the coffee table, when Anna returned two hours later.<p>

"I hope you picked the talking option. Otherwise you suck at hiding," she muttered, dumping her bags by the door and moving closer into the room.

"Yeah we talked," Wilson sighed, getting up and meeting her at the door. "Do you want me to stay in case you kill each other?"

Anna glanced at House who was staying unusually quiet and then turned back to Wilson. "I think we'll be alright. Thanks for all your help, James."

Wilson nodded and let himself out while the apartment fell into an eerie silence.

"I put an offer in," House said after awhile. When he got no reply, he added: "Do you not want to know which place?"

"Right now, I don't care if it was this apartment." She took a deep breath before joining him on the couch. "What's going on, Greg? You knew the pills had been an issue and what if one of the twins got hold of them? I know you're in pain and I know the pills help but I also know you take way more than you should. Please at least tell me you'll try to cut down. If not for me, then for our children."

"I'll try. I'm not promising you it'll work..."

"You trying is enough for me."

The settled into silence once again, more comfortable than the previous one but still not quite back to normal.

"Did you really not like any of the houses?" Anna asked quietly after awhile. "If you don't, that's okay. We can look at other houses."

"I already put in an offer."

"You were serious?"

"Are you saying I can't do something nice?"

"Greg, there's doing something nice and then there's buying someone a house."

"I didn't buy you a house. I bought the four of us a home." He turned to her, noticing that she was just staring at him. "What?"

"How is that you can change between being an absolute ass and a romantic sap in the space of 5 minutes?"

"I'm not a sap!" House said, feigning hurt but allowing Anna to move closer to him all the same.

"Sure you're not," she replied sarcastically before turning serious again. "We've got to get better at this Greg."

"Get better at not being a sap?"

"At communicating. How are we ever going to survive being parents if we can't even communicate properly without one of us storming out? I know I was the one that left earlier but it was just about time one of us did. Do you really think we can do this?"

House thought about what he truly thought, compared to what he thought she wanted to hear. Eventually he decided on going with a combination of the two. _Damn this love thing was really getting to him!_

"I don't know but we can try," he said after awhile. "You're going to be a great mum, Wilson is looking forward to being 'Uncle Jimmy' to them and he has told me I'll be nothing like my father..."

"You won't," she said firmly. "From what you've told me about him, I can say with absolute certainty that you will be nothing like your father."

"And you'll be nothing like your parents," he said softly, watching the surprise in her features before regaining control again.

"In that case, maybe we'll be okay."

"Maybe we will."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay I'm sure I've gone totally out of character and I'm so sorry for that :P Like I said, drawing blanks!<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**I know I suck at updating. I'm sorry! This is why I don't publish my stuff because I never know how to finish them. But I'll try my best with this one so please bear with me and reviewing would be nice too :P Oh and I'm probably going to completely mess up the timeline and whatnot in this chapter so sorry about that too :P And one finally sorry for when the next update takes ages too! But this one is an extra long chapter so hopefully that makes up for it a little? Although it is crap so maybe not... :P Apologies for any mistakes since I literally just finished this. I should probably stop rambling and let you read...**

* * *

><p>The sale of the house had gone through quickly and Anna had been eager to move in as soon as possible. Her "nesting" instinct had kicked in around the end of her sixth month and, unfortunately for House, was still going strong in her eighth. Her maternity leave started earlier than planned due to high blood pressure – with everyone strongly hinting that living with House was the cause – and this had given her more time to get everything ready.<p>

Before she'd allowed the furniture to be moved into the new house, she'd dusted, polished, swept, scrubbed and cleaned every surface. House had been quick to point out this was a bad idea since the movers would be in and out with their dirty feet and his old furniture wasn't exactly clean but he soon learnt that it was not wise to pick a fight with a pregnant woman. For once, even House managed to hold his tongue!

* * *

><p>House had claimed one of the rooms as "his" shortly after they moved in, filling it with all his CDs and his guitars - obviously his piano had to have pride of place in the living room. It seemed to be the room he did most of his thinking and unwinding in after a long day and Anna left him to it, just happy that he was adjusting to their new life together.<p>

It was in this room that House was when the doorbell rang, breaking his train of thought. He debated on whether he could just ignore it until he realised Anna had left her keys behind and an angry pregnant woman was the last thing he wanted.

"I'm coming," he muttered as it the doorbell rang again, heaving himself out of his comfortable chair and grabbing his cane. The sound of wood on wood echoed along the corridor and House mumbled about pregnancy brain as he went.

He swung the door open and was about to say something but was faced with the last person he expected to see. The woman on the other side of the door was in shock at the speed at which the door had flown open but seemed to recover a lot quicker.

"I didn't quite believe it when I went to your apartment and the person who opened the door gave this as your new address," she began. "The Greg House I knew would never swap his bachelor pad for what I can only assume is a family home."

"Well I'm obviously not the person you knew anymore," House grumbled. He paused for a moment, studying the woman in front of him before sighing. "What are you doing here, Stacy?"

"I came to see you; to talk. Can I come in?"

House didn't reply. Instead he moved away from the door and into the living room where he proceeded to flop down on the couch. Stacy took this as an invitation and slowly stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

She took a moment to take in the surroundings. It seemed as if the move was relatively recent since there were still some cardboard boxes lying around the place and very few personal touches were visible. But it still felt homely to Stacy all the same and the piano in the living room made it apparent that this move was not temporary.

"So did you decide you wanted more space to walk around in?" Stacy tried to joke as she took a seat in the armchair since House occupied the whole couch. _I wonder if he did that on purpose?_

House just stared at her question. They'd not seen each other since his infarction 3 years ago and it seemed as if the subject was still not one to joke about.

"What are you doing here, Stacy?" he repeated.

"I told you I wanted to see you."

House was about to respond with a bitter retort when the doorbell rang for the second time that day. He went to answer it, half annoyed that he had to get up again but also pleased that it gave him a chance to get away from Stacy for just a few minutes.

Stacy too was relieved by the interruption and took the opportunity to plan what she was going to say to House. The truth was she'd missed him and had hoped that they could be friends again, if not more. She thought he might have forgiven her for defying his wishes but was quickly realising that, despite living somewhere different, he was still the same House he'd always been.

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sound of a female voice carrying through to the living room:

"Sorry I forgot my bag when I left this morning and it's got my keys in it."

"Pregnancy brain," House replied, smugly.

"Hey I'm not the only one to blame for that!" Anna retorted. She made her way into the living room with House following behind her but stopped when she saw Stacy sat there. "Oh I didn't realise you had company."

"Its fine," House said, almost too dismissively for Stacy's taste. She didn't know who this woman was but instantly didn't like her. She seemed a lot younger than Stacy and she couldn't deny this woman was attractive. House appeared relaxed around her and there was no hiding the heavily pregnant stomach.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your guest?" Anna asked.

"Fine. Anna, Stacy. Stacy, Anna."

"Sorry about Greg," Anna joked, playfully hitting House on the arm. "You'd think he'd master social skills like he does everything else."

"He's always been like that," Stacy replied, forcing a smile. _Who is this woman telling me what House is like? I bet I know him better than she does. And since when does he let people call him Greg?_

"I take it you two go back awhile?"

"Well we did date for 5 years," she replied, feeling slightly smug.

"Oh you're _that_ Stacy?" Anna said, seemingly unfazed by meeting one of House's exes. "I've heard a lot about you."

"You have?" This only fuelled Stacy's smugness. _Maybe this Anna person isn't so much of a threat. But I still don't know who she is…_

"Yeah Greg talked a lot about you in our letters."

"Your letters?"

"You know the ones," House said, entering the conversation again with a pleased look on his face. "Anna here is the one I wrote to all that time."

"The friend you wrote to in the army? That was Anna?"

The many letters House had written to this army friend had been a sore spot in his relationship with Stacy. She had seen the way the letters had changed him just like everyone else. And, like with everyone else, he'd refused to discuss the person in any detail. All she'd known was that it was someone he'd met, a fellow doctor, and they mainly wrote about medical things. Finding out that it was a woman who was still present in his life now was a low-blow for Stacy and they both knew that had been House's intention when he'd informed her.

"Yeah that was me," Anna replied, unaware of the tension behind it. "Anyway I just popped back for my bag. I've got to run otherwise I'm going to be late meeting James."

"You're meeting Wilson?" House said.

"We're buying baby stuff remember? You're welcome to join us if you want…"

"No thank you. Good ol' Jimmy can carry your bags and coo over things with you just fine without me there."

"I thought as much," Anna laughed before turning to Stacy with a genuine smile. "It was nice meeting you."

"You too," Stacy replied through gritted teeth although Anna either didn't notice or chose to ignore it.

"I'll see you later, Greg. James and I can bring back dinner if you want? Pizza okay?"

"Only if Wilson pays."

"He'll probably end up spending a lot of money on baby stuff today so it'd only be fair that I buy the pizza."

"Then I won't eat it."

"Well you can starve then. I'll see you in a few hours and maybe you'll have changed your mind by then. Or maybe I'll just tell you James bought it regardless. Bye."

Once she'd gone, House and Stacy were left in an awkward silence.

"So let me get this straight," Stacy began. "Anna is the army friend you were writing to pretty much the whole time we were dating? And now she's here, she's pregnant, she's dating Wilson and the three of you are living here like some weird family?"

House couldn't help but snigger at how wrong she'd got it and was more than happy to put her right. "Actually, Anna is the one I was writing to but she's not with Wilson and the three of us aren't living here. In fact, Wilson only enters the equation when it suits me to pawn things off on him."

"You mean…"

"Yes," House interrupted smugly. "I'm the one with Anna and we live in this house together, just the two of us until our twins are born."

"You're living with someone? And she's pregnant with not one but two of your children?"

"That's normally how it works with twins."

"You're enjoying this," Stacy spat.

"Me? Never!" House mocked innocence. "What do you expect Stacy? You can just come back here after 3 years, expect me to forgive you and we can just pick up where we left off?"

She didn't want to admit that it was exactly what she'd hoped for so she just kept quiet.

"I want you to leave," he said after they'd been quiet for a few minutes. "I don't want Anna to see the person I was around the time of my infarction. She already has some idea because of our letters but I don't want her to see me like that. I want you to leave."

Stacy didn't know what else to do so just nodded. She hated to lose but she still cared enough about House to let him go. This woman had actually made him seem human and he was properly starting a life with her, something he'd never done with her. Without a word, she picked up her things and left.

* * *

><p>"Greg, we're back and we brought pizza," Anna called out, entering the house with Wilson following behind her carrying several bags. "Greg?"<p>

"Why don't I go and find him while you serve up the pizza?" Wilson offered when they received no reply.

He stopped just outside the door, wondering whether to knock or just enter. He settled on a mixture of the two and knocked on the door whilst opening it. House was sat in his chair, deep in thought and only looked up when Wilson closed the door a little louder than necessary to get his attention.

"Anna told me about Stacy."

"I thought she would. You two really need to stop gossiping about me." He paused before adding: "What did she say about the visit?"

"Not much really. She said she thought Stacy seemed to 'proper' to be your type and mentioned how pleased you looked when you told her that Anna was the army friend you used to write to. I think she guessed that those letters were a bit of a sensitive subject in your relationship."

"Yeah Stacy didn't seem too happy about finding out it was Anna."

"And I'm sure you enjoyed telling her a little too much?" Wilson joked, trying to lighten the mood a little.

House smirked before turning serious again. "I asked her to leave. She seemed to be expecting things to be the same as they always were between us. She didn't think for a second I'd have moved on and would be in another relationship."

"Well it did surprise us all..."

"But I am," House continued, ignoring the joke. "And I'm happy. I'm the last person who'd believe I could be living with someone and expecting twins with them. I don't want Anna to see who I was and leave."

Wilson debated on how to respond to this. House never used to open up to him or anyone before Anna. He still only did it rarely now but Wilson always felt like it was a privilege when he did and felt it was his duty to respond as best as he could.

"House you will always be an ass. You will always infuriate people and be the arrogant jerk you've always been..."

"Thanks for the pep talk, Wilson!" House snarked.

"You didn't let me finish. You will always be those things just not with Anna. Yeah you have been an ass to her in the past but you've now managed to keep that side for everyone else in your life. You're a different person with her. She's seen who you were but she loves you for who you are. She's had plenty of opportunity to leave but she's stuck around and is still planning on raising a family with you. You can still make sarcastic comments and insult her because she'll do it back to you and, if you ever step over the line, she'll call you on it because she cares about you."

"Don't start going all mushy-love crap on me Wilson."

Wilson sighed. It was obvious House was done with this conversation and was reverting back to his normal ways. But he knew that what he'd said had got through.

"So did you buy the pizza?"

* * *

><p>"You do realise we're only having two kids and not ten right?" House asked as they sat eating their pizza and Anna showed him all the things her and Wilson had come home with.<p>

"Babies need a lot of stuff, Greg, which you'd know if you read any of the baby books I've bought."

"I don't need to read a book to know about babies. They eat, sleep and poop. Oh and they cry. They cry a lot."

"Well I'd cry too if you were my dad," Wilson quipped.

"Isn't it time you went home?" House snarked.

"As much as I'd love to stay while you are making me feel so welcome, I probably should be heading home. I've got an early meeting in the morning. Thank you for a lovely day, Anna."

"No thank you for keeping me company since Greg obviously wasn't going to do it."

"You two really know how to make a guy feel special," House grumbled.

"Suck it up, House. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Are you going to let him speak to me like that?" he whined to Anna as Wilson just chuckled and left.

"Yes I am," she smiled. "And I'm also going to leave you to tidy up while I go and lie down for a bit."

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you liked it. I'm pretty sure I'm going out of character with House but I'm trying to write him in the world I've put him in. I have the idea of what I'm going to do in the next chapter so hopefully I can write it quickly and then there shouldn't be too many more chapters after that. Please review and let me know what you think of it (even if it is too complain about how I suck at updating - sorry again!).<strong>


	15. Chapter 15

**I owe so much to Nikki for this chapter! She is an absolute gem and has helped me so much! This chapter is dedicated to her wonderful self. And I would just like to say that neither of us are experts so apologies for any discrepancies. **

**Please please please review because this is a chapter I've been planning for a long time and I really hope I've done it justice. I sort of know what's going to happen in the next chapter and I will do my absolute best to get it down and uploaded as soon as possible. Please bear with me but I will definitely finish this story.**

* * *

><p>"You owe me," House grumbled as he made the way up the stairs towards the master bedroom. "Have you any idea how much mess Wilson makes? I don't think it is possible for that much mess to be made from pizza."<p>

As he opened the bedroom door, he stood frozen to the spot. When he got no reply, he'd assumed that Anna had fallen asleep but instead he was met with a harrowing image.

"Anna!" House shouted, crossing the room at a speed he didn't think was possible with his leg. "Don't do this to me, Anna! Not now! Not after everything we've been through!"

She lay on the bed, her whole body rigid. House quickly cleared the area around her, knowing he had a very limited amount of time before she started seizing. And that's just what she did. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and he stood rooted to the spot as he watched his very pregnant girlfriend convulse.

He grabbed the phone - his eyes never leaving her - and punched in the keys a little too forcefully.

"Ambulance... She's seizing... She's pregnant and she's seizing... I don't know... 15 Ellison Court... I don't know... Just... Please... Hurry."

He hadn't realised how much his hands were shaking until he failed at putting the phone back in its cradle. He couldn't remember the last time he was this scared. Hell he couldn't remember a time he'd ever been scared. But as he watched Anna's seizure slow and her body relax as the tremors finally stopped, he realised how much emotion he had invested in this woman and dreaded to think what he'd be like without her; without their family.

"It's going to be okay," House said, his voice barely above a whisper and breaking at the end. He could see the fear in her eyes and knew he had to be strong for her.

Right now, he didn't feel like a doctor. All his medical knowledge seemed to vanish as he grasped her hand tightly in his and tried to reassure her as best as he could. He was no longer the great Dr Gregory House, the best diagnostician in the world. He was simply Greg, an ordinary man, terrified as to what would happen to the love of his life and their unborn children.

* * *

><p>House didn't know how long it took for the ambulance to arrive. He lost all track of time as he chanted "It's going to be okay" over and over, more to himself than Anna. He clung tightly to her hand between seizures and stared into her eyes, barely daring to breath at times. He answered the paradmedics' questions on autopilot and remained oblivious to the looks they shared at seeing House visibly pale and shaken.<p>

The responses they got when they entered the ER were the same and those who hadn't seen it for themselves would never have believed it. Anna was wheeled off for tests and House didn't even have the energy to fight when they said he couldn't go with them. He just nodded and sank down against a nearby wall, defeated.

He managed to pull himself together just long enough to find his phone and dial.

"House? What do you want? I only left you an hour ago and I told you I had an early morning..."

"Wilson?" House interrupted.

"What's wrong?" Wilson asked immediately. He'd heard the break in House's voice and knew this wasn't just an annoying phone call. This was an emergency. "Has something happened?" No reply. "House? Is it the babies? Is it Anna?"

"Hospital," was all House could choke out before the phone slipped from his hand and he just went numb.

* * *

><p>"House?" Wilson called softly, kneeling beside his friend's limp figure.<p>

He'd walked through the hospital and asked a nurse if she knew where House was. He knew it was serious when he was met with a sympathetic look as she pointed in the direction of the ER. He noticed the other nurses around all wore the same look when they saw him and his stomach churned.

"House? What's going on?"

"She went to lie down after you left," House said quietly with a far-off look. "I thought she'd be okay. I was complaining at her as I went into the bedroom. And there she was... she was..."

"What House?" Wilson pressed gently, needing to know what was going on so he could best help his friend.

"She was seizing. I don't know how long she was like that before I got there. What if she was seizing the whole time? What if she's brain damaged? What if we lose the twins? What if..."

"It's not your fault, House. You weren't to know. Have the doctors told you what caused the seizures?"

"They've not been out."

"Okay," Wilson said, unsure what to do.

House was the one who always knew what to do. He was the one who always kept a clear head and moaned about how Wilson always let his emotions get in the way. But it was House who was emotional tonight and Wilson didn't know how to deal with it. So he decided to stick with what he knew best.

"I'm going to go and get you something to eat. Anna's going to need you to keep your strength up."

* * *

><p>Wilson returned to hear the end of House's conversation with the doctor.<p>

"...until her body doesn't have the stress anymore. We're going to need to do an emergency caesarean."

House simply nodded, obviously still processing the information he'd been told before. The doctor repeated the gesture and gave Wilson a concerned look, before returning to prep Anna for her surgery.

"She had pre-eclampsia," House said so softly Wilson almost didn't hear him. "She had high blood pressure. I should have connected it. Her doctor screwed up and mixed up the test results. She had increased protein in her urine. I should have had the test repeated. Then maybe..."

"House you can't think like that. It wasn't you that screwed up."

"But I'm with her all the time! I should have noticed! What's the point in being a doctor if you can't even help your own family?"

Wilson hated seeing him like this. He still looked pale and defeated. If he started blaming himself, it would destroy him.

"So she has eclampsia now? What are the doctors trying? I heard them say something about an emergency c-section."

"They tried magnesium to stop the seizures but it didn't work so they're putting her in a medically-induced coma. The babies are okay but Anna won't get better until her body doesn't have the stress of the babies anymore. They're getting her ready now."

As if on cue, the doors to Anna's room opened and her bed was wheeled out. House noticed her stillness compared to the last time he saw her. Instantly, he moved to hold her hand and fell in step with the other doctors as she was taken to the OR. He didn't even pay attention, once again working on autopilot as he just stared at Anna.

"Dr House?" the doctor said, pulling him out of his thoughts. "This is as far as you can go."

"What? Why?"

"Family's not allowed in the OR and you're her family."


	16. Chapter 16

**I finished the chapter at about 2am, posted it and then decided I wasn't as happy with it as I should have been so apologies for reposting it and changing the direction of the story slightly. I hope you like this and please let me know what you think by reviewing - it really helps with my writing! :P**

**I'll try to update as quick as possible but it may not always be possible with Christmas fast approaching.**

**And once again, I'm no medical expert. I try to research as much as possible and get help from others but there are probably still going to be instances where I get things wrong. So please bear with me on that one.**

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><p>House stared at the OR door long after Anna had been wheeled through it. He was only vaguely aware when Wilson started steering him away, lost in his own mind.<p>

"We can watch from here," Wilson said, opening the door and leading House into the gallery.

They had just finished scrubbing in and the operation was about to start. Despite being on his leg for a long time already today, House remained standing in front of the window and had no inclination to move.

"Is there anyone you want me to call?" Wilson asked after several minutes of silence. "Family that should be contacted?"

House shook his head slowly. "Her mother died when she was a kid and she's not spoken to her father since she left home at 16. I'm her only family. Me and those babies." He paused as his voice wavered. "What if something happens to her or the babies? She's my family. I can't... I couldn't..."

"Hey, it's going to be okay," Wilson tried to soothe. He didn't think House would accept anything too touchy-feely, even in his current condition, so he just stood next to him and hoped that his presence and words would be enough for now. "With you and Anna as parents, those two kids are bound to be stubborn and they're going to fight. And Anna, well she's not going to give up on telling the great Greg House what to do. You're not going to lose them, House."

House didn't say anything. He just nodded half-heartedly and resumed watching the operation below. Wilson took a deep breath and hoped what he said was true for he didn't know how House would survive if he lost the only person he ever truly loved.

* * *

><p>They remained side by side next to the window, both lost in their own thoughts as the operation went on below. It was only when a voice tried to get their attention that they were brought back to the real world:<p>

"Dr House? We're ready to deliver."

House nodded but said nothing, transfixed on the scene below. As the first baby was delivered and a loud cry filled their eyes, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your son has a pair of lungs on him," the doctor joked, turning to the gallery with the newborn in his arms for them to see.

House smiled and kept his eyes on his son as he was transferred to a nurse who carried him through the OR to clean him up. His gaze was only broken by the doctor's voice again, this time with a sense of urgency.

"She's not breathing."

The doctor looked up to the gallery only to see House's retreating form as he left the gallery faster than he'd ever moved before.

* * *

><p>House charged through the OR doors and went straight over to where the nurse stood over his children.<p>

"What the hell is happening?" he exclaimed. "What's going on with my daughter...?"

"Dr House," the nurse interrupted. "Your daughter's fine. They both are. She gave us a scare at the start but she's doing well now. Would you like to see them?"

House just nodded slowly and the nurses stepped aside to leave him alone with his children. The doctor had finished too so they all moved back to give him some time with his family.

"Hey, Anna?" House said softly. "We're parents. The doctor was right that we were having one of each. Our son has my eyes and I can already tell he's going to be just like me so I'm warning you know. And our daughter, well she has your eyes. She's already had me worrying and I'm sure she's going to break some hearts just like her mother." He paused for a minute to take a deep breath. "I always thought we'd meet our children together and we'd be the ones to introduce them to everyone together. But for that to happen I need you to wake up okay? I can do the introducing on my own but raising kids? I don't know anything about that. I need you to wake up so you can tell me what to do like only you can. I need you to wake up so I don't screw these kids up, or if I do, I do it with you by my side. They're perfect, Anna. Please wake up so you can see for yourself."

* * *

><p>Despite being a few weeks premature and the original scare, both babies were of decent weight and had no other health issues. None of the staff thought they'd be as relieved as they were when they told House the news. When they saw him hold his children for the first time, they knew their thoughts on him would never be the same. They knew he'd most likely revert back to his old ways but they'd always have the image of him looking completely exhausted and worn out yet so full of pride as he cradled the tiny infants. It was the first time any of them knew for certain that this arrogant doctor did have a heart and it was currently desperately missing someone.<p>

* * *

><p>Wilson left House alone for awhile as Anna got taken to a room and he bonded with his children. When he tentatively knocked on the door a little while later, he found House sat in a chair pulled close to her bed and the cots next to them too.<p>

"Did you introduce Anna to your children?"

House nodded, finally lifting his head to look at Wilson. "I guess this is where I start introducing them to everyone else too?"

Wilson smiled and walked further into the room, moving a second chair next to House and the cots.

"In that case, I would like you to meet my son, Zachary James House." House noticed Wilson's breath hitch at hearing the middle name so continued: "Anna wanted to name him Zachary after the man who effectively brought us together. She thought it would honour him nicely. And she suggested James too. She thought anyone who put up with me long enough should have a kid named after them."

Wilson just nodded, touched by House's gesture but knowing that words didn't need to be spoken between the two. "And what about your little girl?"

"Lillian Casey House. Anna wanted Casey in one of their names somewhere and Lillian was just a name she liked."

"Did you get any say in the names then?" Wilson joked half-heartedly.

"I don't get a say in many things when it comes to Anna," House replied, trying to joke but only managing a sad smile.

"Well I think she did a good job. The names fit them perfectly."

"Yeah they do. Hey, Zach? Lily? Meet Uncle Jimmy. He likes buying us Houses things so take advantage of that as much as possible."


	17. Chapter 17

**I hope you all had a good Christmas and that 2012 brings you all you hope for :)**

**Since it's my lucky number, this will be my penultimate chapter of my story so I can end it on 18. I probably would have split this into two chapters but I haven't updated for awhile and really want to end on 18 so it's going to be a long one instead :P I'm being persuaded to do a sequel which I may just do depending on what you want so I hope you enjoy this and please review to let me know what you thought of this chapter and whether you think I should continue on with the story.**

* * *

><p>"Lily, please stop crying," House pleaded, rocking his daughter back and forth as best he could. "You're fed, changed and burped. I don't know what else you want. And if you don't stop soon, you're going to wake your brother…"<p>

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Zach started crying too. House looked between the baby in his arms, the baby in the cot and the woman in the bed.

"How am I meant to do this by myself?" House sighed. He felt helpless and completely out of his depth, two feelings House hated. "Anna, I need you to wake up. They need you too..."

This gave House an idea. He gently lay Lily down next to Anna so that her head rested on her mother's chest and then he picked up Zach and placed him on the other side of Anna, mirroring Lily's positioning. He carefully moved the tubes connected to Anna out of the way so that he could rest her hands on their backs to stop them from falling off.

"Nice idea," Wilson whispered, entering the room just as the cries subsided and handing House a sandwich.

"They needed to be close to their mother," House replied distractedly. "They respond well to her."

"They respond well to you too, House. Looking after newborn twins on your own would be hard for anyone. You're doing really well."

"Anna would know what to do," he said sadly. "She always knows what do."

Wilson looked at his friend, unsure what to say. House didn't even seem to notice that Wilson had stopped talking to him. He was too involved watching how his children seemed to immediately relax in their mother's warmth.

* * *

><p>It had been two days since the twins had been born and Anna was still in a coma. House had spent the majority of the time in Anna's room, watching TV, playing video games or talking to her. The nurses allowed the twins to stay with him in her room as much as possible, knowing that it was important for House to have them near him. They had been able to go home that morning but they knew House wouldn't want the four of them separated for so long.<p>

It had taken awhile but Wilson and Cuddy had finally managed to persuade House that he should go home that evening and try to get as much rest as the twins would allow. Wilson was going to go with him so that he could help with the twins and Cuddy was going to do her paperwork in Anna's room so she could see if there were any changes. It was only when Wilson said Anna wouldn't want him and the twins to stay at the hospital that House agreed.

* * *

><p>"And you'll call if anything happens?" House asked for what must have been the tenth time in the last 20 minutes.<p>

"I will call you if she so much as lifts a finger okay?" Cuddy replied, giving House reassuring smile and slightly steering him towards the door. "Now take those precious children of yours home so that maybe you can get a little rest and stop walking around like a zombie."

House smiled slightly, gave Anna one last look and then followed Wilson out who was carrying the two car seats. They got some odd looks as the walked through the hospital from people who didn't know what was going on but House was too distracted and Wilson was paying too much attention to the twins for either of them to notice. They just walked out in silence and drove home in much the same way.

* * *

><p>"No offence," House said as they entered the house that evening. "But when I imagined bringing my children home for the first time, I didn't think it would be with you."<p>

Wilson chuckled slightly. "I don't think any of us thought it'd be with me either. Is the nursery set up or do you need me to do anything?"

"This is Anna we're talking about. Of course the nursery's ready. She's had it ready for weeks now along with her hospital bag." House gestured to the bag by the door and made a mental note to take that with him to the hospital tomorrow so that Anna had it when she woke up. He shook all doubts of "if she woke up" out of his head before picking up a carrier and making his way to the nursery with Wilson and the other carrier following behind.

"Do you want me to make us some dinner?" Wilson asked as they settled the twins in their cribs and turned on the monitors.

House shook his head. "I'm just going to go to bed." He was just about to enter his bedroom when he stopped in the doorway and turned to Wilson: "I'm going to sleep in the guest room tonight. It's... urm... closer to the nursery so I can... urm... hear the twins better."

Wilson was about to reply but House had already closed the door to the guest room behind him. He knew that House's room was the closest to the nursery because Anna had done it purposely so they would be able to hear the twins should the monitors not work. It was only when he stood in the doorway like House had done that he realised the reason for his friend's odd behaviour.

Pulling out his phone, he sent a text to Cuddy: _Anything? He can't even sleep in their room so made up an excuse to sleep in the guest bedroom. It was in there that he found her._

He took a look around the room at the pillows that lay discarded on the floor in a pile with the covers and the bed that lay bare apart from the crumpled sheets. There was no way he could sleep in this room either so he made his way back out to the living room and pulled the blanket from the sofa over him.

His phone lit up as a text from Cuddy came through: _No change. She'll get through this. They both will. They're too stubborn not to._

Wilson hoped that Cuddy was right before settling down for what he was sure would be a restless night for both him and House.

* * *

><p>Day three of Anna's coma started in much the same way. House and Wilson arrived early in the morning since neither could sleep and the twins were up anyway. Cuddy informed them there was no change but Anna's vital signs were good. Wilson had suggested bringing the Moses baskets Anna had got to the hospital for the twins since he knew House wasn't planning on leaving the room again that day. Once Cuddy had cooed over the babies and helped get them settled, she excused herself so she could grab a shower and change before starting the day. Wilson left shortly after to meet with a patient leaving House, who's team had been told he had family matters to attend to, alone with his family.<p>

* * *

><p>"Lunch?" Wilson asked, poking his head round the door several hours later. He'd been swamped with patients and hadn't been able to see House since that morning.<p>

House nodded, gesturing to the babies who were both asleep and taking the sandwich Wilson offered him. "The doctor took her off the meds," he said between mouthfuls. "He said her body had healed enough that they could wake her up."

"That's great," Wilson quietly exclaimed. "Why don't you look happy about this?"

"Because she's not woken up yet. They took her off the meds 5 hours ago and still no change."

"House, we both know that it takes time for people to wake up from these things. I know it's hard but you just have to have a little patience." Wilson was about to continue but his pager interrupted him. "I have to go. Let me know if anything happens and I'll try to come by again soon okay?"

House just nodded as Wilson gave him one last look before leaving. He'd never seen House look anywhere near defeated before but it was the first thing he thought of when he saw his friend recently.

* * *

><p>"There you go," House murmured quietly as he lay Zach in the basket after finally getting him back to sleep. He rubbed his eyes and tried to remember the last time he'd actually slept. Sure he'd had a nap here and there but he hadn't slept for more than an hour straight in several days and it was definitely taking its toll on him and his leg. He knew he had to at least try to get some sleep otherwise he'd be no use to his children whatsoever. But the hospital chairs were just too uncomfortable for his liking.<p>

Looking at Anna he remembered what he'd done the previous day and decided that, if it was good enough for his children, it was good enough for him. He took off his shoes and gently moved Anna to the edge of the bed, careful not to knock any wires. He lifted his bad leg onto the bed and moved his arm across Anna's shoulders before settling down next to her. It felt nice to have her lying beside him again.

* * *

><p>House opened his eyes as someone nudged him awake. It took a minute for him to remember that he'd climbed into Anna's hospital bed before looking around the room. There was no sign of Wilson or Cuddy or any of the hospital staff and the twins were still sound asleep. It was then that House's breath caught in his throat as he slowly turned to the body next to him and found the piercing green eyes he'd so missed staring back at him. He saw the tears in her eyes and wiped them away before whispering in her ear:<p>

"Don't ever leave me alone with our children again."

Anna cracked a smile that House thought he'd never see again before whispering "Promise."


	18. Chapter 18

**This is the final chapter of this story. Once again, I have to thank the fantabulous Nikki because, without her, you wouldn't have read this story! If you want a sequel, please let me know. If not, ciao I guess!**

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><p>House stirred in his sleep and reached over to Anna's side of the bed only to open his eyes when he found it empty. He glanced at the clock to see it was 05:13 and furrowed his brow in confusion. Since the twins were coming up to three months and were sleeping from 10pm to at least 6 the following morning, House knew Anna would unlikely be tending to them. His thoughts were interrupted by a sound coming from the bathroom so he climbed out of bed, careful of his leg, and lightly tapped on the door before pushing it open.<p>

"Hey," he said softly, seeing Anna knelt in front of the toilet. She managed a weak smile before throwing up again. House slowly lowered himself to the floor so his back was against the bath while he held her hair and rubbed her back gently. When she was finished, he pulled her between his outstretched legs and put his arms around her as she lay her head back on his shoulder.

"I must have caught something when I went for my check-up," Anna stated, her voice sounding quite groggy. "I think I'm okay now. I should probably try to get some sleep before the twins wake up."

"Oh no you don't. I mean, yes to the sleep but no to the twins."

"I know they are smart but our kids aren't quite up to fending for themselves yet."

"Really?" House said sarcastically, helping Anna into bed after they'd successfully gotten up from the bathroom floor. "Well in that case whatever shall we do? If only they had some other adult figure in their life who could look after them..."

"Greg..."

"Me? What a fantastic idea!"

"You're hilarious you know that?" Anna said, dryly.

"I have been told that several times," he said smugly before turning serious. "But you need to rest. You don't want to make yourself worse. Or get the twins sick for that matter."

"What about your team?"

"They'll call if we get a case. Now lie down while I get you some water."

House knew he had her from the moment he mentioned the twins. She would have tried a lot harder before they were born to go into work when she was sick but now she knew she couldn't risk it and that House wouldn't let her even if she wanted to. He was extra protective over his family after the ordeal just a few months ago, making sure Anna took a long maternity leave and that she had help if she needed it. There was no way he was going to risk losing her, especially over a sickness bug that could be gotten rid of simply by resting.

* * *

><p>"What do you think you're doing?" House said, carrying a tray into the bedroom several hours later and seeing Anna attempting to get out of bed.<p>

"I'm feeling a lot better now. I was going to take over so you could go to work for the afternoon."

"Yeah that's not happening. Get back in bed."

She was about to protest but saw the look in his eyes that showed he was not going to budge so she gave in and climbed back into bed.

"Much better. Now eat this." He positioned the tray on her lap and watched her as she started eating the soup.

"You don't have to supervise me you know?"

"Considering you were trying to get out of bed not 2 minutes ago, I think I do."

"Well do you think you could take a break long enough to get me a drink? This soup is pretty hot." When he didn't move she added: "I promise I will not move from this spot while you are gone."

House sighed but went to the kitchen all the same to get her a glass of water. He was about to take it back to her when he had an idea. If she wasn't going to stay in bed voluntarily, he would just have to help her a little. He reminded himself it was for her own good as he watched the sleeping tablets dissolve in the water and made his way back to the bedroom.

* * *

><p>House had just gotten the twins down for a nap when his phone rang. He snatched it up quickly so as to not wake them and didn't bother looking at the caller ID.<p>

"What?" he said quiet yet harsh.

"Er House? We have a case," Foreman answered, surprised by House's tone and how quick he'd answered. Cuddy had told them he wouldn't be in but could be reached on his phone if necessary and they'd assumed that he was probably pretending to be sick when he was actually hungover.

"And? Pretty sure you've all got letters after your names which means you're doctors. You can deal with cases yourself."

"We've run the blood culture, done an MRI and taken the family history. We have no idea what's wrong with the patient," Chase chipped in.

"We need you to come in and see what we've missed," Foreman added.

"I can't." Before his team had a chance to speak, he sighed and added: "You'll have to come here."

"What? To your house?" Cameron asked surprised.

"Yes to my house. Let me give you the address."

"House, we know where you live," Foreman said, wondering what was going on.

He sighed again. "No you don't. I moved." He gave them the address and was just about to hang up before adding: "If you even think of ringing the doorbell, I will fire all of you."

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, there was a quiet knock at the door. House had made sure both his bedroom door and the twins' bedroom door were closed and tucked the baby monitor discreetly in his back pocket. He'd also tidied away most of the baby stuff but he was planning on keeping his team in the hallway anyway.<p>

"Let's get this over with," House said as he opened the door and allowed his team to enter but still made sure they didn't go very far into the house.

"When did you move?" Cameron asked, trying to peer past him to see more of the house.

"And what has that got to do with diagnosing the patient? Oh that's right. Nothing. Where's the file?"

Foreman rolled his eyes and handed over the file to House who flicked through it while his team tried to work out exactly what was going on. House was about to give his diagnosis when he was interrupted by a voice behind him:

"Gregory House did you drug me?" Anna exclaimed, her voice harsh but not very loud as she'd seen the door to her children's room closed. When she found House in the hallway, she did a double-take when she saw his team were there but was too focused to deal with that right now. "You put sleeping pills in my drink didn't you? There is no way I would have slept this long if you hadn't!"

"Maybe I did but can you blame me? I'd already caught you trying to get up and you know you can't deny that you weren't going to try it again."

Anna sighed, knowing he was right. "Fine. But I will kick your ass if you ever drug me again without telling me. Got it?"

"Yes mistress," House replied smugly.

"I'm going to take a bath since I am finally awake." She glanced at House's team and simply said "Doctors." before walking back down the hall.

The team stayed quiet for a moment, still processing what exactly was going on until Chase finally broke the silence:

"Wait you and Dr Casey? From the ER? You two are together?"

"Nice work, Sherlock."

"But Dr Casey is off on... She was..." Chase's eyes grew wide and, before he could finish his sentence, the sound of crying came from the monitor in House's back pocket.

House sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day and limped off, emerging a few minutes later with his arms full. Foreman and Cameron's eyes grew just as Chase's had as they came to the same realisation.

"Ducklings, meet the spawn."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay so I'm not entirely sure what my feelings on this chapter are but I hope you like it all the same. Like I said, let me know if you want a sequel and please review this story! Thank you for reading :)<strong>


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